obscurechars7

Welcome to Round VII of Obscure DCU Characters. This thread serves as a
Q&A forum focusing on DC's many obscure heroes and villains. Rounds I
through VI have been archived at
www.infiniteearths.org/dcu/msgboards
and are available for download. If you're new to this topic, take a few
moments to check out those previous threads. The Obscure DCU Characters list
now stands at 537 characters. Those entries that have yet to be covered are
marked with an asterisk.

Base of Operations: New York CityFirst Appearance: Leading Comics #1 (Winter 1941-42)

History: In the Spring of 1938, "Fly-Foot" Creamer, an acrobat
and small-time crook, is convicted and sentenced to prison. He places his
young daughter, Meredith (age ~5), in an orphanage, stipulating that his
daughter never learn that her father was a criminal. [Refer to Star
Spangled Comics #81 (June 1948).] [Note: Merry Creamer's age is estimated
here.]

On October 31st of 1938, Lee Travis (age 25), wealthy young publisher
of the Globe-Leader, a New York newspaper, dons a business suit, mask,
crimson cape, and slouch hat, and attends a costumed charity ball in New
Jersey as a highway robber. The proceeds will be used to aid the residents
of Hankow, China, homeland of Lee's driver, Wing How (age ~16). During the
ball, Orson Welles' War of the Worlds radio play puts the attendees in a
panic, until they realize the broadcast is not real. Suddenly, criminals
dressed as Martians crash the party and steal the proceeds. The disguised
Lee Travis and Wing chase after the crooks, eventually capturing them. Lee
continues to fight crime wearing the outfit he wore to the charity ball,
calling himself the Crimson Avenger. The plain-clothes Wing is his only
confidant, and aides him in many of his adventures. [1st app. of the
Crimson Avenger and Wing in Detective Comics #20 (Oct 1938), origin first
revealed in Secret Origins [1st ongoing series] #5 (Aug 1986).] [Note: Lee
Travis was born in 1913, as shown in Infinity Inc. #11 (Feb 1985). Secret
Origins #5 establishes that Lee was twenty-five when he became the Crimson
Avenger. According to the 1976 DC Calendar, Lee's birthday is March 11th
and Wing's birthday is August 18th. Wing's age is approximated here, based
on his having a driver's license. Crimson Avenger #1 (June 1988) establishes
that Wing's last name is How.]

In the Summer of 1940, the Crimson Avenger dons a new, skin-tight
costume. [Refer to Detective Comics #44 (Oct 1940).]

In the Winter of 1940, Tom Hallaway becomes the archer named the
Spider. It is a nickname given him as a child, one which stuck. He is in
reality a criminal who uses the guise of a hero to further his own agenda,
eliminating his competition and expanding his criminal empire in the city
of St. Louis. [1st app. of the Spider in Crack Comics #1 (May 1940) by
Quality Comics, 1st app. at DC in All-Star Squadron #50 (Oct 1985).]
[Note: The Spider having a criminal background is a retcon. Refer to The
Shade #3 (June 1997) and Stars And S.T.R.I.P.E. #9 (Apr 2000).]

In 532 A.D., a new knight of the Round Table, Sir Justin, searches for
the ogre Blunderbore, to avenge the death of Sir Fallon. On the way, he
accidentally frees the wizard Merlin from a spell which had imprisoned
him. Merlin transforms Justin into the Shining Knight, and casts a spell
which gives the knight's horse, Victory, functional wings. In his new
armor, atop his magical steed dubbed "Winged Victory", Justin quickly
finds the ogre and slays him. But the battle causes an avalanche of ice
which buries both the knight and his steed. In the Summer of 1941, the
Shining Knight awakens from suspended animation fourteen centuries later
when Dr. Moresby, a museum director, frees him from an iceberg with
dynamite. As a cover, Justin takes the name Justin Arthur and attains a
job in Moresby's New York City museum. Occasionally, Merlin uses his magic
to summon the Shining Knight back to Camelot. The Knight is sometimes
aided by Sir Butch. [1st app. of the Shining Knight in Adventure Comics
#66 (Sep 1941), origin retold in All-Star Squadron #62 (Oct 1987), the new
Camelot adventures and the origin of Sir Butch featured in Adventure
Comics #132 (Sep 1948).] [Note: All-Star Squadron #62 clearly places Sir
Justin's resuscitation in the Summer of 1941.] [Additional Note: In Swamp
Thing [2nd series] #87 (June 1989), Sir Justin, the last surviving Knight
of the Round Table, returns to King Arthur with the Holy Grail. During
that time he meets the time-lost Swamp Thing. In Superman [2nd series] #55
(May 1991), during the Fall of Camelot, Merlin attempts to summon Sir
Justin from the 20th century, but is blocked by the magicks of Morgaine Le
Fey.]

On July 4th 1941, Sylvester Pemberton, Jr. (age 14), son of a wealthy
banker, and mechanic Pat Dugan (age ~20) are in attendance at the showing
of a patriotic film, when suddenly Nazis agents start a riot in the
theater. Shortly after, both Sylvester and Pat overhear a policeman say he
wishes that the American flag could come to life to deal with the Nazi
agents. Each is inspired to make that happen, and soon after the
Star-Spangled Kid and Stripesy appear. At first operating independently,
they finally combine forces to halt the Nazi plot against the United
States. Pat later takes a job as the Pemberton chauffeur. [1st app. of the
Star-Spangled Kid and Stripesy in a promo in Action Comics #40 (Sep 1941),
2nd app. in Star Spangled Comics #1 (Oct 1941), origin first revealed in
Star Spangled Comics #18 (Mar 1943), origin retold in Secret Origins [2nd
ongoing] #9 (Dec 1986).] [Note: Secret Origins [2nd ongoing] #9
establishes that Sylvester was thirteen or fourteen when he became the
Star-Spangled Kid. According to The Amazing World Of DC Comics #16 (Dec
1977), Sylvester was born in 1926. According to the 1976 DC Calendar,
Sylvester's birthday is December 13th and Pat's birthday is March 5th. In
the post-Crisis reality, Sylvester's birthday is in October, as shown in
Stars And S.T.R.I.P.E. #9 (Apr 2000), making him fourteen on July 4th.
Also, in Infinity Inc. #11 (Feb 1985), Sylvester states that Pat is only a
few years older than him, while Stars And S.T.R.I.P.E. #9 (Apr 2000)
indicates that Pat was born in the 1920s, hence the estimate for Pat's age
above.]

In the Summer of 1941, Greg Sanders, who was born in Wyoming but had
since moved to New York City to become a radio singer, is informed that
his father has been killed. Greg's father was a county sheriff, shot by
criminals who were after a gold shipment that he was guarding. Greg
travels back West and, becoming the masked Vigilante, tracks down his
father's killers. After he returns to New York, he is aided in his fight
against crime by his friend Billy Gunn. [1st app. of the Vigilante in
Action Comics #42 (Nov 1941), 1st app. of Billy Gunn in Action Comics #43
(Dec 1941).] [Note: According to the 1976 DC Calendar, Greg's birthday is
February 10th. Also, according to World's Finest Comics #246 (Aug-Sep
1977), which describes the Earth-One Vigilante's origin, the name of
Sheriff Sanders' killers was the Judas Priest Gang.] [Additional note: In
the pre-Crisis reality, Oliver Queen and his ward Roy Harper became the
Earth-Two Green Arrow and Speedy around this same time. Refer to More Fun
Comics #73 (Nov 1941).]

In the late Summer of 1941, the criminal mastermind known as the Hand
learns that he is gravely ill and has less than a month to live. He
pledges to make the world remember him long after he is gone by giving his
greatest unused plans to other criminals to execute for him. He gathers
five villains together, "the Hand's Five Fingers", then challenges certain
heroes to stop them. Prof. Merlin battles the Spider, the Needle battles
the Star-Spangled Kid and Stripesy, Red Dragon battles the Shining Knight,
Big Caesar battles the Crimson Avenger and Wing, and the Dummy battles the
Vigilante and Billy Gunn. When the criminals are all defeated, the Hand
decides to kill the heroes himself, and invites them to his home, which is
filled with traps. The Hand then learns that a means of curing him has
been found. He is more determined than ever to defeat the heroes so he can
stay out of prison. At the conclusion of their confrontation, the villain
aims his lightning-ray machine at the heroes, but the Vigilante shoots the
machine down, apparently killing the Hand. The heroes decide that they
work well together and resolve to officially form a team. The Crimson
Avenger wants to limit Wing's exposure to danger because he has a very
promising future, so he refuses to allow Wing to join. The heroes form the
Seven Soldiers of Victory (a.k.a. the Law's Legionnaires), with Wing as an
unofficial eighth Soldier. [1st app. of the Seven Soldiers of Victory in
Leading Comics #1 (Winter 1941-42), retold in Justice League Of America
#100 (Aug 1972).] [Note: It is assumed that the Spider replaced Green
Arrow and Speedy in the post-Crisis reality starting with the Soldiers'
first adventure. Billy Gunn is also assumed to be a Solider here based on
a cameo in Infinity Inc. #51 (June 1988) and the letters page of Young
All-Stars #15 (Aug 1988).]

In the Fall of 1941, the Soldiers battle the Black Star and his
partners in crime: Captain Bigg, the Rattler, Falseface, the Hopper, and
the Brain. The Black Star instructs his cohorts to collect five seemingly
worthless items which, when used together, form a "black light" which
makes organic matter grow to amazing size. The Black Star uses the black
light on himself to make himself huge. During their final battle, the
Black Star is knocked into the black light beam. He grows to such an
immense size that the floor and ground under him collapse, and the Black
Star disappears into the Earth. [Refer to Leading Comics #2 (Spring 1942).]

In the Fall of 1941, the Head, a secret agent for Imperial Japan, seeks
to provoke a Tong War in New York City's Chinatown. He frames Lin Chou,
the wise leader of the White Lotus Tong, for wrongdoing. Lin Chou has two
grandsons, Daniel (age 14) and Victor (age 10) Leong. Danny, nicknamed
"Stuff", helps the Vigilante battle the Hand and his men, and clears Lin
Chou's name. Thereafter, Danny becomes the Vigilante's sidekick, known as
Stuff the Chinatown Kid. [1st app. of Stuff in Action Comics #45 (Feb
1942).] [Note: Vigilante: City Lights, Prairie Justice #1 (Nov 1995) - #4
(Feb 1996) establishes that Stuff is half-Chinese, that his first name is
Danny, and that his age would be seventeen in November 1944. El Diablo #12
(Aug 1990) and a Who's Who loose-leaf entry establish that Victor was ten
years old when he met the Vigilante. Danny's last name is assumed to be
the same as his brother's, which was revealed to be Leong in El Diablo
#12. It is unclear if Victor and Daniel have the same mother. If not,
Victor may be full-blooded Chinese.]

In the Fall of 1941, caught in one of the Luftwaffe's bombing raids on
London, Percy Sheldrake (age nearly 20 years) and his mother are rescued
by the Shining Knight. Whenever the Shining Knight is in England, Percy
becomes his secret sidekick, the Squire. [1st app. of the Squire in Young
All-Stars #22 (Jan 1989).] [Note: According to Young All-Stars #23 (Mar
1989), by June of 1942, Percy Sheldrake had a wife and one year old son,
Cyril. Batman #62 (Dec 1950-Jan 1951), Infinity Inc. #34 (Jan 1987), and
New Teen Titans [2nd series] #44 (June 1988) show that Percy will become
the Earl of Wordenshire and take up the costumed identity of the Knight by
the Fall of 1950, while his son Cyril will become the new Squire.]

In the Winter of 1942, a homeless boy, nicknamed "Breezy", saves
Sylvester, Jr. from a kidnapping attempt. Syl's grateful father offers the
boy a place in their home. The Star Spangled Kid and Stripesy learn that
Breezy is being stalked by Doctor Weerd. They ultimately discover that
Breezy's mother had inherited a fortune before she died and Weerd wanted
Breezy to sign over all rights to the money. Afterward, Sylvester John
Pemberton, Sr. and his wife, Gloria, adopt young Breezy. [Refer to Star
Spangled Comics #6 (Mar 1942) and World's Finest Comics #6 (Summer 1942).]

In January of 1942, the Soldiers battle a scientist named Dr. Wilfred
Doome. Using his newly perfected time ray, Doome calls forth Nero, Attila
the Hun, Napolean Bonaparte, Genghis Khan, and Alexander the Great. After
defeating the villains, who are returned to their own eras, the Soldiers
follow Doome to the Siege of Troy in the 12th century B.C.. Dr. Doome
befriends Odysseus and Agamemnon, but they are soon convinced that it is
Doome who is the enemy. Doome escapes to 1942, and the Soldiers follow
him. Doome then uses his time machine to escape into the far future, after
which it explodes. [Refer to Leading Comics #3 (Summer 1942), retold in
flashback in All-Star Squadron #29 (Jan 1984).] [Note: Since All-Star
Squadron #29 takes place in February 1942, and the Shining Knight has been
in London for "the past few weeks", and the battle with Dr. Doome is told
in flashback, then Leading Comics #3 most likely occurred in January.]

In early April of 1942, the Soldiers battle the Sense-Master, in
reality a man named Dr. Brett, who tries to gather together five jewels
which, when put together, will yield the Lifestone. Brett alters five
unwilling criminals who gather the gems: Mickey Gordon, "Fingers"
O'Fallon, "Human Bloodhound", Leo Palate, and "Eagle-Eye" Nelson. The
Lifestone would have been used to bring an army of stone to life, which
Brett could have used to conquer the world, but when the Lifestone is
removed from Brett, he turns to stone himself. [Refer to Leading Comics #4
(Autumn 1942), retold in All-Star Squadron #56 (Apr 1986).] [Note: Since
All-Star Squadron #56 takes place in early April of 1942, Leading Comics
#5 also occurred at that time.]

In late June of 1942, an elderly man, whose wealth has failed to stave
off the ravages of old age, snaps. Calling himself the Skull, he pays
criminals to steal an unproven experimental device which has reversed
aging in a few laboratory animals. Their actions attract the attention of
the Seven Soldiers of Victory. The Vigilante's new partner, Stuff,
replaces Billy Gunn on the team. Also, because the Spider is occupied with
other matters and cannot attend, the Shining Knight's sidekick, the
Squire, whose existence only recently became public, accompanies the team
as an unofficial eighth Soldier of Victory. During their final onslaught
on the Skull's remote mansion, the heroes find the villain dead. Two of
the wires in the de-aging device were accidentally crossed, causing the
Skull to age to death instead of returning him to his youth. After the
adventure concludes, the Shining Knight brings the Squire back to England.
[Refer to Leading Comics #5 (Winter 1942-43), retold in Young All-Stars
#27 (July 1989).] [Note: Since Young All-Stars #27 takes place in late
June of 1942, Leading Comics #5 also occurred at that time.]

Some months after returning to Europe, Percy Sheldrake is captured by
the Nazis. He remains a P.O.W. for the rest of the war. [Refer to Infinity
Inc. #34 (Jan 1987).]

In the Fall of 1942, the Soldiers battle Scrivener. [Refer to Leading
Comics #6 (Spring 1943).]

In the Winter of 1943, the Soldiers battle the Wizards of Stanovia.
[Refer to Leading Comics #7 (Summer 1943).]

In the Spring of 1943, the Soldiers battle the Dummy. The Dummy
captures the heroes and, with a stolen time machine, sends them into the
past. The Spider meets the Three Musketeers in 17th century France, the
Crimson Avenger and Wing arrive in China circa 225 BC and help defend
against a Japanese invasion, the Star-Spangled Kid and Stripesy are
present when Eric the Red and his son Leif discover North America circa
1000 A.D., the Vigilante meets Julius Caesar in the 1st century B.C., and
the Shining Knight meets Leonardo da Vinci in 15th century Italy. Da
Vinci, who is descended from the Homo Magi, uses his arcane knowledge to
build a time machine that Sir Justin uses to rescue his teammates. The
heroes return to their own time period and defeat the Dummy. [Refer to
Leading Comics #8 (Autumn 1943).] [Note: Vandal Savage has claimed to have
been Julius Caesar, however it is unclear if Savage was the real Julius or
merely impersonated him at one point. Leonardo da Vinci's Homo Magi
lineage was revealed as part of the origin of Zatara the Magician, his
descendant.]

In the Summer of 1943, the Soldiers battle Mr. X. [Refer to Leading
Comics #9 (Winter 1943-44).]

In the Fall of 1943, the Soldiers battle Baby-Face Johnson. [Refer to
Leading Comics #10 (Spring 1944).]

In the Winter of 1944, the Soldiers battle Handsome Harry. [Refer to
Leading Comics #11 (Summer 1944).]

In the Spring of 1944, the Soldiers battle henchmen hired by Weldon
Darrell's secretary. [Refer to Leading Comics #12 (Autumn 1944).]

In the Summer of 1944, the Soldiers battle Barracuda. [Refer to Leading
Comics #13 (Winter 1944-45).]

In the Fall of 1944, the Soldiers battle villains from various
fictional books. [Refer to Leading Comics #14 (Spring 1945).]

In November 1944, in the city of Los Angeles, seventeen year old Stuff
tells Greg Sanders that he is in love with a girl named Stacey, an
actress. Two weeks later, Stuff asks Stacey to marry him and she says yes.
When Stacey then goes missing for two days, Stuff frantically goes to Greg
for help. Evidence suggests that the gangster Bugsy Siegel is involved.
The Vigilante traces Stacey's tracks to Tijuana, Mexico, where he learns
Stacey was enslaved, had escaped, and was shot and killed. From San Diego,
the Vigilante calls for Stuff on the phone, but learns that, while he was
gone, Stuff had confronted Siegel about Stacey, was tied up, and beaten to
death by the mobster. [Refer to Vigilante: City Lights, Prairie Justice #1
(Nov 1995).]

In the Winter of 1945, the Seven Soldiers of Victory are mysteriously
called to a meeting. A strange elf-like boy appears, introducing himself
as Willie Wisher. He claims that he has the power to make anything happen
just by wishing for it. The heroes scoff, so Willie Wisher wishes for the
Soldiers to be banished to the Land of Magic. The Soldiers eventually
demonstrate how, even without meaning to, Willie could be causing harm to
innocents by casually wishing for things. They make him feel so bad that
Willie wishes he had never been born. Willie suddenly ceases to exist.
[Refer to Adventure Comics #438 (Mar-Apr 1975) - #443 (Jan-Feb 1976).]
[Note: Time period assumed based on the quarterly publication of Leading
Comics.]

For months, the Vigilante has been causing Bugsy Siegel all kinds of
trouble. The Dummy, an old enemy of the Vigilante, offers his services to
Siegel. In the Summer of 1945, the Vigilante is tricked onto a
booby-trapped boat, where he learns that the Dummy is allied with Siegel.
The Vigilante is believed killed in the explosion. [Refer to Vigilante:
City Lights, Prairie Justice #2 (Dec 1995).]

By June 12th 1946, the Vigilante has been out of action almost a year,
in hiding, healing from his wounds. [Refer to Vigilante: City Lights,
Prairie Justice #3 (Jan 1996).]

On December 26th 1946, Bugsy Siegel, who had used mob money to build
the first casino in Vegas, opens the Flamingo. When no one comes to the
grand opening, the mob decides Siegel must die. The Vigilante resurfaces
in Vegas just before dawn. [Refer to Vigilante: City Lights, Prairie
Justice #3 (Jan 1996).]

The mob hires the Dummy to kill Bugsy Siegel. When Siegel arrives in
Hollywood, he and his men are attacked by the Dummy and his crew. The
Vigilante shows up, distracts the Dummy, and tells Siegel to run. The
Vigilante chases the Dummy up into the rafters of a building. The Dummy
falls and is believed dead. Later, the Vigilante is contacted and told
Siegel wants to see him. On June 20th 1947, the Vigilante meets with
Siegel and learns that he doesn't even remember killing Stuff. Siegel
tells the Vigilante that he is a failure and a marked man, and he wants
the hero to kill him. The Vigilante refuses. Furious, Siegel taunts the
Vigilante about how he does indeed remember killing Stuff and how
thoroughly he enjoyed it. The Vigilante shoots Siegel dead. [Refer to
Vigilante: City Lights, Prairie Justice #4 (Feb 1996).]

In Summer of 1947, the Vigilante discovers that the Dummy survived
their last encounter. The Dummy taunts the Vigilante by informing him that
it was he, and not Bugsy Siegel, that killed Stuff in 1944. The Dummy had
wanted to make the Vigilante suffer by killing Stuff, but he didn't want
the hero to hound him, so he made it appear as if it was Siegel that beat
Stuff to death. The Dummy enjoyed watching the Vigilante grieve over the
next few months, then hired out his services to Siegel, so that he could
take pleasure in finally killing his old foe. The Dummy was foiled that
time but, as he now evades capture, he swears he won't rest until the
Vigilante is dead. Recalling that Siegel had told him he didn't remember
killing Stuff, the Vigilante now has to live with the fact that he killed
the wrong man in cold-blood. [Note: It is strongly inferred in Stars And
S.T.R.I.P.E. #9 (Apr 2000) that the Dummy killed Stuff, hence the changes
suggested above. It is interesting to note that the Earth-One Stuff was
killed by the Dummy in World's Finest Comics #246 (Aug-Sep 1977).]

The Vigilante contacts Victor Leong (age ~15) to inform him that his
brother's killer still lives. Victor becomes the new Stuff. [Refer to
Stars And S.T.R.I.P.E. #1 (Aug 1999) and #9 (Apr 2000).] [Note: Stuff II's
full name is first revealed in El Diablo #12 (Aug 1990).]

In the Spring of 1948, a bullet creases the Star-Spangled Kid's head
during a battle with a criminal gang. While the injury is not serious, he
is forced to wear a bandage in his secret identity of Sylvester Pemberton,
Jr.. When he is unable to explain to his parents what happened to him,
they insist he see a psychiatrist. Noting that Sylvester has no close
friends, his adopted brother Breezy being something of a black-sheep, the
psychiatrist suggests a companion. Mr. and Mrs. Pemberton adopt Merry
Creamer (age ~15) from the local orphanage. Learning of the adoption, two
hoods named Klinker and Buggsy track down her father, "Fly-Foot" Creamer,
who was recently freed from prison and has since gone straight, obtaining
a job as a circus performer. Threatening to reveal him to the Pembertons
and Merry, the crooks force Creamer to help them pull a job as the villain
called the Human Fly. He double-crosses the thugs and they shoot him, just
as the Star-Spangled Kid shows up. With his dying breath, Creamer explains
to the Kid that he was blackmailed, that his daughter is now with a nice
family, and that he wishes she never learn that her father was an ex-con.
The Kid vows to keep his secret. The murderers are ultimately killed by
the police in a shoot-out. Merry learns that the Star-Spangled Kid used a
handkerchief that she had given Sylvester, and deduces that the hero must
be her adoptive brother. [1st app. of Merry in Star Spangled Comics #81
(June 1948).]

In the Spring of 1948, Merry Pemberton dons a costume and secretly aids
her brother, the Star-Spangled Kid, in the capture of Presto the Magician.
The villain's gimmicks inspire her, and she names herself the Gimmick
Girl. [1st app. of Merry as the Gimmick Girl in Star Spangled Comics #82
(July 1948).]

In the Spring of 1948, Stripesy breaks his leg battling a criminal
called the Rope. When the Star-Spangled Kid is knocked out by the villain,
the Gimmick Girl uses her new gadgets to capture him. She temporarily
becomes the Star-Spangled Kid's new partner, until Stripesy's leg heals.
[Refer to Star Spangled Comics #83 (Aug 1948).]

In late October 1948, in the city of St. Louis, just after Sylvester
Pemberton's 22nd birthday, the Seven Soldiers of Victory gather for what
will be their final adventure. They have been contacted by the Spider
about a coming menace. Stripesy takes one look at the plans that the
Spider had sent over and whips up the nebula rod. The device is a
lightning rod of sorts, gathering nebuloid-energy from space, which can
then be channeled against any opposing nebula threat. They wonder how the
Spider got the plans in the first place and mention that they think he is
shifty. The Spider arrives, visibly weak. He tells his teammates that
their old enemy, the Hand, is in the process of creating a living entity
of cosmic energy, with the power of twenty atomic bombs. He plans to
unleash it's power in St. Louis. The Spider explains that he contacted the
Soldiers, over the All-Star Squadron or the Justice Society, because he
had to get help from a group he could count on. After looking over the
nebula rod, the Spider collapses, dropping a map of the Hand's hideout.
The Crimson Avenger tells Wing, who is not an official team member, to
stay behind and get medical help for the Spider, while the Soldiers check
out the hideout. Shortly after they leave, Billy Gunn arrives. He had been
doing intensive background checks on the Spider after hearing the
Vigilante's growing suspicions. He tells Wing the whole thing is a set up.
Billy Gunn is suddenly shot through the neck with an arrow. The killer,
the Spider, holds a key piece to the nebula rod in his hand. Wing attacks
and knocks the Spider out, taking the critical component from him. The
Soldiers find the Nebula Man and engage him in battle. The Crimson Avenger
grabs the nebula rod and runs towards the creature. Wing then arrives,
telling his friends that Billy Gunn is dead, and that they have been
betrayed by the Spider. The Crimson Avenger stabs the Nebula Man with the
rod. The resulting explosion teleports them all to the other side of the
world, to the Himalayas. Wing grabs the nebula rod, inserts the missing
piece, and attacks the Nebula Man once again. The resulting blast destroys
the enemy, but kills Wing, and sends the rest of the team into the
timestream. Monks at a nearby monastery, who witnessed the battle, bury
the young hero, unaware that the energy of the Nebula Man was absorbed
into Wing's broken form. They mark the grave with a tombstone with the
epitaph "Here In Honored Glory Lies An Unknown Soldier Of Victory Who Died
That His World Might Live". [Refer to Stars And S.T.R.I.P.E. #7 (Feb
2000), #8 (Mar 2000), and #9 (Apr 2000).] [Note: According to the 1976 DC
Calendar, Wing died on June 28th. In the post-Crisis reality, he died in
late October, as shown in Stars And S.T.R.I.P.E. #9 (Apr 2000). Although
Pat Dugan states in Stars And S.T.R.I.P.E. #9 that Sylvester had just
turned 19 years old when they battled the Nebula Man, this is clearly a
mistake on Pat's part, as that would have made Sylvester only eleven when
he first became the Star-Spangled Kid.]

outpost2Member

posted January 12, 2003 04:55 PM

THE SEVEN SOLDIERS OF VICTORY (continued)

In 1950, the golden age Flash retires. The Spider, who is descended
from the Ludlow family, a family dedicated to the destruction of the
immortal Shade, decides to move his criminal operation out of St. Louis
because too many people are beginning to suspect the truth about his
covert activities. He relocates to Keystone City, in order to destroy his
family's enemy. He has a news conference to proclaim that Keystone City
has a new protector, and after a month is endorsed by the Flash. Over the
following months, the Spider plays the hero, battling criminals, including
the Shade. The Shade is unaware that, after every battle with his new foe,
the Spider's men collect the residue of his shadow force. Over the
following months, the Shade secretly does research in St. Louis on the
Spider's past. [Refer to The Shade #3 (June 1997).]

In 1951, the Shade learns that the Spider is really a criminal and
confronts him. The Spider reveals he is a Ludlow, and that he came to
Keystone City to destroy the Shade. The Spider captures the Shade, then
reveals that he has sent his men to the Garrick residence to kill the
Flash and his wife. His men will plant the Shade's shadow residue,
collected by his men over the past months, on the Garricks' bodies.
Super-heroes will hound the Shade for the rest of his existence. The Shade
easily kills the Spider and escapes. He reaches the Garrick residence just
in time to stop the murders. The Shade tells the Flash that he left
evidence about the Spider's criminal activities for the police to find,
and asks the Flash not to notify them of his involvement. [Refer to The
Shade #3 (June 1997) and Stars And S.T.R.I.P.E. #9 (Apr 2000).]

In the late 1950s, Sylvester John Pemberton, Sr. dies. By this time,
Gloria Pemberton, his wife, and Breezy Pemberton, his adopted son, have
also died. Merry, his adopted daughter, renounces any claim to the estate.
Arthur Pemberton, Breezy's infant son, is declared the sole heir to the
Pemberton fortune. [Refer to All-Star Comics # 71 (Mar-Apr 1978) and
Infinity Inc. #3 (June 1984).] [Note: For simplicity, it is assumed that
it was Sylvester's younger adopted brother "Breezy", and not some older
deceased brother as mentioned in Infinity Inc. #3, who was the father of
Arthur Pemberton. Also, in Infinity Inc. #3, Sylvester states that Merry
renounced the Pemberton fortune a few years after he disappeared. Setting
the above events in the late 1950s allows Breezy Pemberton enough time to
sire a son before dying, while still placing the events within a few years
of Sylvester's disappearance.]

In the 1960s, Merry Pemberton marries Henry King, the villain called
Brain Wave. [Refer to Infinity Inc. #3 (June 1984) and Infinity Inc. #9
(Dec 1984).] [Note: The actual events describing the courtship and
marriage of Merry and Brain Wave have not yet been chronicled.]

~29 years ago, Merry King gives birth to Henry, Jr.. Later, her
husband, Brain Wave, is arrested and is sentenced to many years in jail,
leaving Merry to raise her son alone. [Refer to Infinity Inc. #3 (June
1984) and #9 (Dec 1984), and Who's Who #15 (May 1986).] [Note: When Hank,
Jr. first became Brainwave, Jr., he had been out of college only a few
months. Assuming he followed a four-year undergraduate program, Hank would
have graduated at about age twenty-one or twenty-two, placing his birth
approximately twenty-nine years ago.]

~16 years ago, after years of despair over her husband's criminal
activities, Merry Pemberton has a severe nervous breakdown. Henry, Jr.,
now in his early teens, believes his mother has died. [Refer to Infinity
Inc. #3 (June 1984), #9 (Dec 1984), and #23 (Feb 1986), Who's Who #15 (May
1986), and Young Justice #16 (Jan 2000).] [Note: There is a contradiction
between Brainwave, Jr.'s statement that he watched his mother die, and her
subsequent reappearance in Old Justice. The actual events surrounding her
breakdown and faked death have not yet been chronicled.]

12 years ago, the Seven Soldiers of Victory mysteriously appear and are
captured by the invading Appellaxians, along with many of Earth's other
heroes. Back in the Spring of 1943, the Dummy had sent the team into
different eras in the past. Using a time machine built by Leonardo da
Vinci, the heroes attempted to return to their proper time period, but
accidentally overshot their mark by more than four decades. With the
crisis at hand, no one notices the presence of the Soldiers. After
fighting alongside other heroes to free Earth from the threat of the alien
invaders, the Soldiers, worried that someone might stumble across their
time machine, quickly slip away to locate the temporal device. The
Soldiers find the time machine intact, return back to 1943, and defeat the
Dummy. [Refer to JLA: Year One #11 (Nov 1998) and #12 (Dec 1998), and
Leading Comics #8 (Autumn 1943).] [Note: The events of JLA: Year One
#11-12 have been inserted into the conclusion of Leading Comics #8, so as
to explain the appearance of the Soldiers during the Appellaxian invasion.
The events described above are just one theory, the true facts have not
yet been revealed.]

10 years ago, Dr. Fate and the rest of the Justice Society summon the
Justice League. A cosmic hand has appeared around the Earth, created by a
madman who calls himself the Iron Hand. If the Earth does not hand over
control of the planet to him within 48 hours, the Iron Hand will command
the cosmic hand to crush the Earth. Fate's mystic crystal reveals an image
of a tombstone in the Himalayas, referring to "An Unknown Soldier Of
Victory". Dr. Fate, Zatanna, and Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt summon
Oracle, a mystical being of great power. Oracle tells them of the Nebula
Man, a creature that threatened the world in 1948. The Seven Soldiers of
Victory had been beaten back by the entity, but they arose anew with a new
weapon. One of their number sacrificed his life to use it to it's full
effect. Oracle explains that the heroes were lost in time in the resulting
explosion. Everyone present who even remembered the Soldiers assumed that
they had simply retired in '48. Oracle agrees to direct the heroes down
six time-corridors. [Refer to Justice League Of America #100 (Aug 1972),
and Stars And S.T.R.I.P.E. #0 (July 1999) and #9 (Apr 2000).] [Note: In
the pre-Crisis reality: The Justice League of America roster was Aquaman,
the silver age Atom, Batman, the silver age Black Canary, the Elongated
Man, the silver age Flash, Green Arrow, the silver age Green Lantern, the
silver age Hawkman, and Superman, plus the powerless silver age Diana
Prince, Metamorpho, and Zatanna. The Justice Society of America roster was
Doctor Fate, Doctor Mid-Nite, the golden age Green Lantern, Hourman,
Johnny Thunder, Mr. Terrific, the silver age Red Tornado, the golden age
Robin, the Sandman, Starman, Wildcat, and the golden age Wonder Woman. In
the post-Crisis reality: The silver age Green Lantern was apparently not
present, his actions performed by the golden age Green Lantern. The silver
age Hawkman was replaced by the golden age Hawkman. The silver age Diana
Prince and the golden age Robin no longer exist. Doctor Fate took over
some or all of the functions of Oracle. The golden age Wonder Woman was
replaced by the Queen Hippolyte version. The "Hippolyte" Wonder Woman was
only active from 1942 to 1950, and then again a decade from now, so her
appearance here is likely related to the paradoxical temporal nature of
her home, Themyscira. Also, post-Crisis, only six Soldiers, not seven,
were teleported through time.]

The Crimson Avenger arrives in Mexico at the height of the Aztec reign,
approximately five centuries in the past. A glowing rock, a piece of the
Nebula Man, steals his memory and imbues him with energy powers. He comes
to believe he is the Sun God, Huitzilopochtli, and becomes King of the
Aztecs. The silver age Atom, Elongated Man, and Dr. Fate arrive and try to
save the Crimson Avenger, but he blasts them with his new power. After a
short fight, the Atom knocks the Crimson Avenger unconscious. The heroes
find a strange glowing rock and destroy it. The Crimson Avenger regains
his memory and loses the energy powers. The heroes are then magically
retrieved. [Refer to Justice League Of America #100 (Aug 1972) and Stars
And S.T.R.I.P.E. #9 (Apr 2000).] [Note: The era was deduced from the
horrific period during which the Aztecs sacrificed 20,000 people to
Huitzilopochtli.]

[Note: In the pre-Crisis reality, the golden age Green Lantern, the
golden age Robin, and Mr. Terrific arrive and meet the silver age Diana.
Diana tells them what has occurred and explains that the Unknown Soldier's
grave is hidden deep in the Himalayas. Refer to Justice League Of America
#101 (Sep 1972).]

The Shining Knight arrives in China, in the 13th century A.D., at the
camp of Genghis Khan. Khan's shaman uses his fiery gaze to mesmerize the
Knight, making him a willing servant of the warlord. Superman, Metamorpho,
and the Sandman arrive, where they meet monks who explain that the invader
Temujn, known as Genghis Khan ("The Universal Ruler"), and his legions are
being led by an armored god on a winged horse. Metamorpho searches for and
locates the Shining Knight. He is surprised when the Knight attacks him.
Metamorpho realizes he is somehow under Khan's control, and escapes to
tell the others what has transpired. The next day, Khan's hordes attack.
On instructions of the Sandman, Metamorpho creates a sleeping gas,
incapacitating the invaders. Sandman devises an antidote and gives it to
the Knight and his horse. The heroes are then magically retrieved. [Refer
to Justice League Of America #101 (Sep 1972) and Stars And S.T.R.I.P.E. #9
(Apr 2000).] [Note: Vandal Savage has claimed to have been Genghis Khan,
however it is unclear if Savage was the real Khan or merely impersonated
him at one point.]

[Note: In the pre-Crisis reality, the golden age Green Lantern, the
golden age Robin, and Mr. Terrific decide to head to the Himalayas and
discover who erected the grave site. Refer to Justice League Of America
#101 (Sep 1972).]

[Note: In the pre-Crisis reality, the golden age Green Arrow ends up in
12th century England, where he finds an injured Robin Hood under attack by
the Sheriff of Nottingham and his men. Green Arrow successfully chases
them off. While Robin heals from his wounds in the lodgings of a friendly
friar, he asks Green Arrow to take his place. While on his way to tell
Robin's Merry Men of Robin's plight, Green Arrow is captured by the
Sheriff. The silver age Hawkman, the golden age Wonder Woman, and Dr.
Mid-Nite arrive and are attacked by archers. The heroes defeat their
attackers, and learn that they are the Merry Men, who believe they have
just lost to the Sheriff's men. Little John says he doesn't know of anyone
named Green Arrow, but could use their help rescuing their friend Robin
Hood, who is to be hanged in the morning. The heroes make a dawn siege on
Nottingham Castle. Dr. Mid-Nite locates the cell, but instead of Robin
Hood it is Green Arrow that he finds. They escape and Green Arrow explains
to the Merry Men that Robin is safe. The heroes are then magically
retrieved. Refer to Justice League Of America #101 (Sep 1972).]

Stripesy ends up in ancient Egypt and is enslaved. He works on building
the pyramids for a week, until Batman, Starman, and Hourman arrive. The
trio are captured, but are freed with the help of Prince Khufu. They
rescue Stripesy and escape through Dr. Fate's temporal portal. [Refer to
Justice League Of America #101 (Sep 1972) and Stars And S.T.R.I.P.E. #9
(Apr 2000).] [Note: In the pre-Crisis reality, the heroes see Stripesy
working in the shadow of Khufu's future tomb. This is the Pharaoh Khufu,
a.k.a. Cheops, who lived in the 26th century B.C.. The heroes are captured
and imprisoned in the Pharaoh's burial chamber. Batman breaks Hourman's
hourglass and they cut their bonds with the broken glass. Starman summons
his cosmic rod to lead them out. A number of retcons are made in the
post-Crisis version. For instance, Hourman's hourglass is no longer broken
as a means of escape. This is because, in the revised reality, the
hourglass was a gift from the future Hourman, filled with tachyon
particles, which would have significance at a future date. Young Khufu is
added as their new means of escape. If this is intended to be the same
Prince Khufu that is later reincarnated as the golden age Hawkman, this
would place the post-Crisis era for this adventure in the 16th century
B.C..]

[Note: In the pre-Crisis reality, the Iron Hand captures Diana. Refer
to Justice League Of America #101 (Sep 1972).]

The Vigilante winds up in the Old West, circa 1870. Thanks to Johnny
Thunder's bumbling, the Vigilante spends about twenty years in the past,
but he doesn't really mind. The hero had many adventures alongside such
legends as Nighthawk, Madame .44, and Strong Bow. In the late 1880's, he
is captured by Indians, who prepare to burn him at the stake. Green Arrow,
the silver age Black Canary, and Johnny Thunder locate the Indian village
and see the Vigilante's plight. The Vigilante is rescued, and the heroes
are magically retrieved. [Refer to Justice League Of America #102 (Oct
1972), and Stars And S.T.R.I.P.E. #0 (July 1999) and #9 (Apr 2000).]
[Note: In the pre-Crisis reality, the era is inferred to be around the
10th century, based on the Thunderbolt's comments that he had to search
approximately 1,000 years for Johnny Thunder. The Vigilante is captured by
Indians who have heard prophecies that the white man will some day take
their land. They prepare to burn him at the stake. Green Arrow, the silver
age Black Canary, and Johnny Thunder locate the Indian village and see
Vigilante's plight. Johnny Thunder speaks his magic word, but the
Thunderbolt fails to appear. The heroes are captured, but a few hours
later they somehow manage to escape. The Thunderbolt arrives and the
heroes escape. In the post- Crisis reality, the Vigilante's time of
arrival is deduced based on the fact that the Vigilante spent nearly two
decades in the past. His capture by Indians is assumed, but not necessary,
due to the new Johnny Thunder "blunder" retcon. The Vigilante's two decade
stint in the Old West hearken back to adventures he had in Action Comics
#122 (July 1948) & #130 (Mar 1949), and Western Comics #3 (May-June
1948) & #4 (July-Aug 1948).]

The Star-Spangled Kid spends a week in a cave in 14,000 B.C., trying to
avoid giving the prehistoric people there the flu. He uses quartz and
scrap material to construct something that projects a distorted image of
himself to the natives. Aquaman, Wildcat, and the golden age Green Lantern
arrive and see the frightened people cornering something in the cave. They
see the projected image and realize it is the Star-Spangled Kid. The
natives attack the heroes, but when Wildcat knocks out the largest of
them, the rest retreat. The trio enter the cave and split up into the
side-tunnels. Aquaman finds the Kid, but they are swept away by a flash
flood. They escape harm, and all are magically retrieved. [Refer to
Justice League Of America #102 (Oct 1972), and Stars And S.T.R.I.P.E. #0
(July 1999) and #9 (Apr 2000).] [Note: In Justice League Of America #102
and Who's Who #21 (Nov 1986), the estimate for the time period described
above was 50,000 years ago. Post-Crisis, this was retconned to be 14,000
B.C.. In the post-Crisis retelling, the silver age Green Lantern was
retconned to be the golden age Green Lantern.]

Stuff the Chinatown Kid ends up in ancient Greece, approximately 3,000
years in the past. The silver age Flash, Zatanna, and the Red Tornado
arrive to rescue him. They find Stuff under the influence of the sorceress
Circe. After freeing him from her enchantments, they are magically
retrieved. [Refer to Justice League Of America #102 (Oct 1972), and Stars
And S.T.R.I.P.E. #0 (July 1999) and #9 (Apr 2000).] [Note: In the
pre-Crisis reality, the golden age Speedy lands on the Isle of Aenea. The
sorceress Circe uses her magic wand to cast a spell on him, transforming
him into a centaur, like she had done to many others before him. He is
forced by her magic to obey her will. The silver age Flash, Zatanna, and
the Red Tornado arrive on the small Mediterranean island. They spot Speedy
and are shocked to see that he is now a centaur. They are even more
surprised when he begins shooting arrows at them. Circe and a band of
animal-men appear. Circe uses her wand to enchant Speedy's arrows. When he
shoots them at the trio, they are all transformed into animal-men. Circe
magically forces the heroes to fight one another, then leaves on Speedy's
back. Zatanna reverses the spell, they stop Circe, cure the captured men,
and destroy the wand. They are then magically retrieved. The post-Crisis
events, which replaces Speedy with Stuff II, are unrevealed and can only
be assumed to have occurred along similar lines. The time-period mentioned
above is a rough estimate only.]

The heroes all gather back at Justice Society headquarters, albeit more
than 40 years after the Soldiers disappeared. Since all the missing
Soldiers are accounted for, Johnny Thunder wonders who was buried at the
grave site. The Crimson Avenger proudly explains that it was his partner
Wing, who bravely and selflessly sacrificed himself to save the world. Mr.
Terrific, who traveled to the Himalayas during the rescue missions, tells
the Crimson Avenger that holy men from a nearby temple witnessed the
battle and laid Wing to rest where he fell. The heroes then explain to the
Soldiers that they must rebuild the nebula rod to stop the new nebula
menace. The Iron Hand appears and grabs Wonder Woman, pointing his
mechanical hand menacingly at her head. The mystery villain is none other
than the Hand, the Soldiers' first opponent, who somehow survived death.
The villain lost his right hand in that battle, which he later replaced
with an artificial one. Using her lightning-fast reflexes, Wonder Woman
grabs hold of his iron hand and destroys it. The defeated villain tells
the heroes that the controls were in his artificial hand, and that the
nebulous hand of the Nebula Man can't be deactivated. The heroes hurry to
do the impossible -- build a new nebula rod before time runs out. The rod
is rebuilt without any time to spare, but it must be delivered into the
heart of the menace, something no human can survive. While the others try
to decide who will attempt the suicide mission, the Red Tornado quietly
takes the device and slips away. The heroic android stops the menace of
the Nebula Man a second time, but not without apparently sacrificing his
life. Soon after, the Red Tornado turns up alive and joins the Justice
League. [Refer to Justice League Of America #102 (Oct 1972).] [Note: In
the pre-Crisis reality, the golden age Green Lantern, the golden age
Robin, and Mr. Terrific arrive with the answer to who was buried at the
grave site, but the Crimson Avenger proudly offers an explanation. Also,
Iron Hand threatens to hurt the powerless Diana, who uses her martial arts
skills to get the drop on him. For simplicity, this has been changed to
the villain threatening Hippolyte instead, although this retcon has not
yet been depicted or suggested.]

Before departing, the Soldiers learn that the Spider was killed by the
Shade in 1951. [Refer to Stars And S.T.R.I.P.E. #9 (Apr 2000).]

When Starman breaks his leg in battle against the British Bat, he
offers his cosmic rod and his spot in the Justice Society to the
Star-Spangled Kid. [Refer to All-Star Comics #58 (Jan-Feb 1976), and Stars
And S.T.R.I.P.E. #0 (July 1999) and #9 (Apr 2000).]

Greg Sanders and Victor Leong start a chain of hamburger joints called
Greg Sanders' Round-Up, establishing the first in Houston, Texas. Victor
is made President of Round-Up, Inc.. Greg starts a new hobby, the study of
costumed lawmen. [Refer to El Diablo #12 (Aug 1990) and Stars And
S.T.R.I.P.E. #9 (Apr 2000).]

Since his newspaper had prospered in his absence, Lee Travis retires
from crimefighting and decides to travel the world. [Refer to DC Comics
Presents #38 (Oct 1981).]

The Soldiers lose contact with the Shining Knight. They believe he may
have returned back to his own time-period. [Refer to All-Star Comics #64
(Jan-Feb 1977) - #65 (Mar-Apr 1977), Swamp Thing [2nd series] #87 (June
1989) and #109 (July 1991), Showcase '93 #9 (Sep 1993), and Stars And
S.T.R.I.P.E. #9 (Apr 2000).] [Note: Since the Soldiers disappeared in
October 1948, it is possible that the Knight's new adventures in Camelot,
which didn't begin until Adventure Comics #132 (Sep 1948), took place
during this "missing" block of time.]

Shortly after joining the Justice Society, the Star-Spangled Kid
converts the cosmic rod into a belt. [Refer to All-Star Comics #64
(Jan-Feb 1977) and Stars And S.T.R.I.P.E. #0 (July 1999).]

Some months after the Star-Spangled Kid's return from the past, he and
the rest of the Justice Society battle the Strike Force in Gotham City.
The Kid is captured and held for ransom. The leader of the Strike Force,
unaware that the Star-Spangled Kid is actually Sylvester Pemberton, gloats
that he plans to use the finances of Pemberton Industries that he
inherited from his long-vanished uncle, Sylvester, to become the richest
man in the world through criminal means. The Kid hence learns that the
Strike Force leader is none other than Arthur Pemberton, his deceased
brother's son. After he is rescued by the Justice Society, the
Star-Spangled Kid deals with Arthur personally, then uses the courts to
legally wrest control of Pemberton Industries and the Pemberton fortune
from his corrupt nephew. [Refer to All-Star Comics #70 (Jan-Feb 1978) -
#71 (Mar-Apr 1978) and Infinity Inc. #3 (June 1984).]

9 years ago, while in Malaysia, Lee Travis learns he is dying from an
unknown disease. Travis returns to the U.S. and is admitted to a Detroit
hospital. From his hospital window, Travis sees a ship on the Detroit
River sending out an SOS. Criminals have taken over the ship in order to
steal the valuable experimental chemicals on board. Travis dons his
Crimson Avenger costume, reaches the ship, and stops the crooks.
Unfortunately, a fire has started on board which will set off the
chemicals and destroy a better part of the city. Aware that he has only a
week to live, the Avenger sends the entire crew to safety and takes the
ship out to sea alone. The ship explodes, killing the Avenger, but saving
Detroit. [Refer to DC Comics Presents #38 (Oct 1981) and Stars And
S.T.R.I.P.E. #9 (Apr 2000).] [Note: Infinity Inc. #11 (Feb 1985) places
Lee Travis' death two years prior to the formation of Infinity, Inc..
Who's Who #5 (July 1985) places the hospital in New York City.]

8 years ago, in the city of Houston, Michael Carter, the nephew of Greg
Sanders, becomes the Swashbuckler. [1st app. of the Swashbuckler in
Detective Comics #493 (Aug 1980).]

7 years ago, two years his sacrifice, the surviving members of the
Seven Soldiers of Victory verify that the Crimson Avenger has died. The
Star-Spangled Kid sends Stripesy a telegram, but gets no response. They
hold a memorial service at his gravesite, but Stripesy does not attend.
The Kid, who hasn't heard from his ex-partner since shortly after their
rescue from the past, decides to track him down. Sylvester finds Pat and
his young son, Mike, in Pat's home outside of Vegas. Pat, needing money,
has become indebted to a local mobster named "Boss" Weed. He has built an
armored, high-speed vehicle for the mobster to clear his debt. However,
when Weed comes for the vehicle, he takes Mike too. Sylvester learns that
Pat ignored the telegram, and has ignored Syl because Pemberton Industries
stole his patents. Sylvester explains that he was unaware that his cousin
Arthur Pemberton stole the patents, and that he would make restitution.
The duo then don their Star-Spangled Kid and Stripesy costumes, put a stop
to "Boss" Weed, and rescue Mike. Although still a member of the Justice
Society, the Star-Spangled Kid begins to consider forming his own team.
[Refer to Infinity Inc. #11 (Feb 1985) and Stars And S.T.R.I.P.E. #9 (Apr
2000).] [Note: This issue refers to Mike Dugan as 6 years old, clearly an
impossibility.]

The Star-Spangled Kid brings his cosmic belt, which sustained damage
during a battle with the Ultra-Humanite, to Opal City for Ted Knight to
repair. The Kid considers changing his code name to "Starman", but
reconsiders when he realizes that Ted Knight is more proud of him than his
own son Jack. Ted is disappointed when the Kid declines his offer to use
the Starman name. The Kid leaves his gold-colored cosmic belt with Ted,
who works all through the night to create a new, functional, red-colored
belt. Ted has the golden age Flash make a special delivery of the new
belt. [Refer to Stars And S.T.R.I.P.E. #0 (July 1999).]

Brainwave, Jr. and the Star-Spangled Kid realize that they are related.
Merry, Brainwave's mother and the Kid's adopted sister, never told her son
her maiden name. [Refer to Infinity Inc. #3 (June 1984).]

The villain Brain Wave sacrifices his life to save his son, Brainwave,
Jr., from the Ultra-Humanite. Before he dies, Brain Wave imparts to his
son all of his mental power. Brainwave, Jr. re-christens himself
Brainwave. [Refer to Infinity Inc. #10 (Jan 1985).]

5 years ago, under the influence of the Harlequin, Solomon Grundy and
Mr. Bones cause the death of Skyman. The Dummy helps organize Injustice,
Unlimited. [Refer to Infinity Inc. #51 (June 1988).]

A few months after Skyman dies, Maggie Shaw gets custody of Mike Dugan.
She enrolls him at Civic City Military Academy. [Refer to Stars And
S.T.R.I.P.E. #9 (Apr 2000).]

The Shining Knight promises Abby Arcane that he will locate her
time-lost husband, the Swamp Thing. He begins his quest, searching various
time periods for the missing Earth Elemental. [Refer to Swamp Thing [2nd
series] #87 (June 1989).]

4 years ago, in the late Spring, Greg Sanders and Victor Leong travel
to Dos Rios, Texas, to satisfy Greg's interest in costumed lawmen. As the
Vigilante, Greg meets El Diablo, a local hero. Although it is not
cost-effective to build a Round-Up restaurant in Dos Rios, the town does
establish the Greg Sanders Museum there. [Refer to El Diablo #12 (Aug
1990) and Stars And S.T.R.I.P.E. #9 (Apr 2000).]

3 years ago, the Shining Knight returns to Abby Arcane with news of the
Swamp Thing. Although less than two years has passed for Abby, twenty
years has passed for Sir Justin. [Refer to Swamp Thing [2nd series] #109
(July 1991).]

2 years ago, Brainwave goes mad with guilt over the powers that his
father left him. The bad things his father used those powers for took form
in his mind, convincing him he must be evil to make his father proud. With
other villains by his side, he attacks the Justice League. Maxima uses her
mental abilities to get into Brainwave's mind, breaking the control that
the guilt has over him. [Refer to Infinity Inc. #10 (Jan 1985) and Extreme
Justice #14 (Mar 1996) - #18 (July 1996).]

1 year ago, Greg Sanders calls his old shooting buddy, Max Crandall,
for help. Greg has bought Mesa City with the intent of turning it into a
dude ranch, however strange accidents have been occurring. Max Crandall
and Bart Allen, as Max Mercury and Impulse, help to defeat the culprit,
Harvey McTeague. [Refer to Impulse Annual #2 (1997).]

Less than a year ago, Pat Dugan marries Barbara Whitmore, a resident of
Beverly Hills. Barbara's daughter, Courtney, is less than thrilled that
she now has a new step-father. Barbara has yet to tell Courtney what has
become of her natural father. [Refer to Stars And S.T.R.I.P.E. #9 (Apr
2000).]

Mere months ago, the Shining Knight contacts Pat Dugan in Beverly Hills
about strange goings on in Blue Valley. Against his step-daughter's
wishes, Pat moves his new family to Blue Valley. Before Pat arrives, the
Shining Knight becomes engaged in battle with the Dragon King, his
daughter Shiv, and their minions. His mind is all but destroyed during the
ordeal. He later re-appears, dazed, in his cover as the high school
janitor. When Pat arrives in Blue Valley, he is unable to locate his old
friend. In his basement, Pat Dugan completes work on S.T.R.I.P.E., a new
computerized body armor which he hopes will aid him against the Blue
Valley menace. It was developed with the help of Dr. Robert Crane,
formerly known as the golden age Robotman. Pat had asked Crane for his old
body parts, and he was happy to oblige. [Refer to Stars And S.T.R.I.P.E.
#0 (July 1999), #1 (Aug 1999), #2 (Sep 1999), #7 (Feb 2000), and #8 (Mar
2000).]

Courtney Whitmore, step-daughter of Pat Dugan, rummages through the
boxes used in the move to Blue Valley. She comes across the Star-Spangled
Kid and Stripesy's old costumes and some newspaper clippings. She
recognizes Pat as Stripesy. Courtney makes herself a new Star-Spangled Kid
costume to wear to that night's Blue Valley Soldiers football rally, which
has a patriotic theme. She not only wants to get Pat's goat by wearing the
costume, because he volunteered to chaperone the dance, but also hopes to
get the attention of a boy she likes. At the rally, Pat spots Courtney and
notices that she is wearing the cosmic belt. When the dance is attacked by
the minions of the Dragon King, the cosmic belt activates and Courtney
discovers she has acquired enhanced strength and speed. Pat rushes to his
nearby home and returns in the S.T.R.I.P.E. armor. The two chase off the
attackers. Pat is furious at Courtney, who refuses to give up her new
costumed identity. [Refer to Stars And S.T.R.I.P.E. #0 (July 1999) and #1
(Aug 1999).]

An aged Gimmick Girl reappears with Old Justice, whose agenda is to
shut down Young Justice before they get hurt. [Refer to Young Justice #16
(Jan 2000).]

Pat Dugan is shocked when the Red Tornado informs him that Merry
Pemberton, the Gimmick Girl, is still alive. [Refer to Stars And
S.T.R.I.P.E. #6 (Jan 2000).]

The Nebula Man rises from Wing's grave in the Himalayas. The monks who
had buried Wing in 1948 were unaware that the body of the fallen hero had
absorbed the radiation and energy of the creature. It reconstructed the
body into a new form, reawakening the Nebula Man. The cosmic entity
remembers it's mission ... destroy this world! The Nebula Man wipes out
the monks and their peaceful monastery. Back in Blue Valley, Pat Dugan is
in his basement lab with Dr. Robert Crane and Crane's robot dog, Robbie.
Robbie digs out the old nebula rod from one of the boxes. Pat is surprised
to see that it is glowing. Pat explains to Crane that this rod was one of
the prototypes that he had built. It disperses cosmic energy, instead of
absorbing it like the cosmic belt. The Nebula Man is drawn to the nebula
rod and attacks. He declares that he has come to complete his mission of
destruction, to destroy Earth, take the energy as his own, and end his
pain. Pat attacks the Nebula Man with the nebula rod, but the creature
breaks it. The Nebula Man states he had homed in on this one weapon, which
emits the same frequency as he does. Once he absorbs the energy from all
of Earth's cosmic devices, he'll have enough power to conquer anyone who
stands in his way. Unfortunately for Courtney, she uses her cosmic belt in
gym class at that very moment to give her an edge, attracting the Nebula
Man. While on the school bus, the creature locates her and attacks. Pat
contacts Ted Knight and tells him to call the Justice Society. Courtney,
who changes into her Star-Spangled Kid garb, battles the Nebula Man over
her cosmic belt. When she spots a picture of Benjamin Franklin flying a
kite in an electrical storm, she gets an idea. Courtney ties her cosmic
belt to a downed phone line, and throws the belt into the heart of the
creature, grounding and dispersing it. S.T.R.I.P.E. arrives, followed by a
crowd of super-heroes, only to discover that the new Star-Spangled Kid has
already dealt with the problem. [Refer to Stars And S.T.R.I.P.E. #7 (Feb
2000) and #8 (Mar 2000).]

Mike Dugan (age ~9) leaves the Civic City Military Academy and arrives
in Blue Valley to pay a surprise visit to his father. Pat tells his son
and step-daughter about the last mission of the Seven Soldiers of Victory.
Mike then informs his father that he has left the Military Academy to move
in with them. [Refer to Stars And S.T.R.I.P.E. #8 (Mar 2000) and #9 (Apr
2000).] [Note: Mike Dugan's age is deduced from Guide To The DCU 2000 #1
(Mar 2000).]

In Detroit, a new Crimson Avenger appears. In St. Louis, someone takes
the Spider's old archery bow. [Refer to Stars And S.T.R.I.P.E. #9 (Apr
2000).]

Weapons and Powers: The Crimson Avenger, Wing, the Star-Spangled
Kid, Stripesy, the Vigilante, Stuff I, and Stuff II were all highly
skilled hand-to-hand combatants. Wing, Stuff I, and Stuff II were all
trained in the martial arts. The Vigilante and Billy Gunn were both
excellent marksman. The Shining Knight wore enchanted armor which repelled
bullets, wielded a magic sword, and rode on a winged horse. The Spider was
a skilled archer.

Comments: The history of the Seven Soldiers of Victory was
greatly affected by the Crisis on Infinite Earths. The Earth-Two Green
Arrow and Speedy ceased to exist when the universes collapsed. They were
retroactively replaced, at various times, by the Spider, Billy Gunn, and
Stuff the Chinatown Kid I and II.

I should look before I open my mouth, but I think the Force of July was in the
short lived ANARKY series. Is Captain Fear the same Cap'n Fear from a BATMAN
book a few years ago?

Hellst0neMember

posted January 19, 2003 11:22 AM

Heaven, I'm in Heaven...

I so totally and absolutely LOVE this thread.

Just a correction about dibs and asterisks, outpost2. The Extremists
are already covered (with the Assemblers and the Justifyers), but the
Sponge Man is not. (Although I'm working on him right now...)

Regards.

/ola

outpost2Member

posted January 19, 2003 02:53 PM

And I tried to be soooo careful compiling that new list. Well, a few
mistakes isn't bad out of 537 entries, right?

If anyone notices any other errors, please let us know. Thanks.

Dudley, Arsenal (Nicholas Galtry) and Captain Marvel (the android) have
already been covered. I'll snag Batman 2050, unless you want to take a
stab at him.

Continental OpMember

posted January 19, 2003 04:49 PM

Here's one that's really obscure. I've been hoping someone would bring him
up, because I was rereading some old books from the late 80s lately, and I
noticed a subplot that never seemed to be resolved...

DEKAN DRACHE

Seems to be the creation of RJM (Randy and Jean-Marc) Lofficier, who
were doing a lot of co-plotting on certain DC titles in the late 80s. I
don't remember if the character even appeared on-camera at all.

Drache was apparently one of those villainous industrialist types, and
had ties to an ex-Nazi scientist type named Dr. Cornelius, who was head of
the Cornelius-Krieg company that was an ongoing subplot in BLUE BEETLE.
They had a super-villain enemy of the Beetle's named Catalyst working for
them. I think this also crossed over into an issue or two of NEW TITANS.
And there was some kind of interplay with the Global Guardians subplot
going on in the Giffen JUSTICE LEAGUE books at the time as well.

To further complicate things, the Zatanna issue of SECRET ORIGINS
around this time mentioned Dekan Drache as an insane sorcerer in the early
part of the 20th Century, who was destroyed and became a human host for
the spirit of (get this) the Justice League's old enemy Felix Faust, who
was suddenly supposed to be thousands of years old. No connection to the
other Drache was specified.

BLUE BEETLE was cancelled, and Roy Thomas brought the Lofficiers with
him to Marvel when he left DC, so I don't think anyone ever explained what
the hell the deal was with Drache or Cornelius-Krieg.

I know that Felix Faust has appeared several times since then, and
Catalyst turned up as one of the Captains of Industry, most recently
working for Kobra in JSA. But I don't think the Lofficier subplots were
ever addressed anywhere.

Wonder Woman is hurled across a mysterious time warp into a parallel
world by a freak electrical storm. This planet exists simultaneously
alongside Earth, but in a different era. Everyone on this world appears to
be a double of someone on Earth. Wonder Woman encounters her own double, a
woman called Tara Terruna (which means "Wonder Woman" in the native
language). Wonder Woman helps her counterpart battle and defeat the evil
Duke Dazam. She then returns home through the same time warp that had
brought her to this strange twin world.

FF TLSOKMember

posted January 20, 2003 07:47 PM

I can think of at least one obscure DC Comics character off the top of my
head...

Strange Visitor.

Positive ManMember

posted January 21, 2003 12:00 AM

How about Dr. Tyme (DOOM PATROL v1 #92)?

Mikel MidnightMember

posted January 21, 2003 07:35 AM

Originally posted by outpost2:

Summarizing an entry from Michael L. Fleisher's Encyclopedia of Comic
Book Heroes vol. 2... Tara Terruna
First appearance: Wonder Woman [1st series] #59 (May-June 1953)
Wonder Woman is hurled across a mysterious time warp into a parallel
world by a freak electrical storm. This planet exists simultaneously
alongside Earth, but in a different era. Everyone on this world appears to
be a double of someone on Earth. Wonder Woman encounters her own double, a
woman called Tara Terruna (which means "Wonder Woman" in the native
language). Wonder Woman helps her counterpart battle and defeat the evil
Duke Dazam. She then returns home through the same time warp that had
brought her to this strange twin world.

Holy crap! I must learn more details about this character! Anyone out
there with this issue?

Koppy McFadMember

posted February 08, 2003 01:50 AM

Here is an obscure character in comics-- but not in American history:

AARON BURR

In the DC Universe, the third vice-president of the United States is not
only alive but living in outer space.

This was shown in the Green Lantern back features that used to appear in
THE FLASH after Hal lost his own book.

In FLASH # 230-231 (published sometime in the 1970s), Jordan sees a
trainload of exhibits for the forthcoming Bicentennial being hijacked into
space by robots disguised as American colonists.

He tracks the robots to their mothership and finds Aaron Burr, still in
1700s garb, sitting inside, mastermind of the whole affair. Thinking Burr
is a robot like all the others, he agrees to an old-fashioned "duel" and
then tries to short circuit Burr, only to find out he is the real thing.

Burr then recounts how he was taken into outer space the day before his
historic duel with Alexander Hamilton in 1804. The inhabitants of a
strife-ridden world needed a statesman to lead them and of all the people
in the universe, they chose Burr.

A duplicating machine created a perfect copy of Burr which was sent
back to Earth in his place, to take part in the duel with Hamilton.

Since that time, Burr has been reforming the alien society while being
kept young by their technology.

Aaron says he borrowed the Bicentennial exhibit because he was homesick
and just wanted to see some artifacts of his own era.

A huge, hulking, artificial life-form/manservant of Burr's then tries
to assassinate him under the command of some reactionary cabal on the
alien planet. Hal naturally saves Burr. He then takes Burr back to Earth
for a last look at his old home. A tearful Burr recalls how much he missed
the Earth but he is needed at his new home so he returns to space.

This story, by Denny O'Neil and Dick Dillin, was clearly intended to
tap into the interest in the Bicentennial which was just about one or two
years away.

What makes it odd is the choice of Aaron Burr, of all American figures,
as being the supposed great reformer who can singlehandedly save an alien
culture.

In history, Burr is highly controversial for secessionist plots and his
great ambition. Not to mention, his killing of Hamilton in a duel.
Jefferson and Washington both didn't like him. Some people even see Burr
as a would-be tyrant, yet Denny O'Neil, the flaming liberal of comics in
the 70s, makes Burr the hero of this story, depicting him as wise,
selfless, and compassionate.

I wonder why Denny didn't choose Thomas Jefferson or Benjamin Franklin
or John Adams or any of the other founding fathers?

After reading the entry for Aaron Burr, it got me thinking about other
real world figures in the DC Universe.

JACK THE RIPPER

In DCU VILLAINS SECRET FILES & ORIGINS, an incarnation of the
Resurrection Man battles Vandal Savage who had just murdered a woman in
White-Chapel, London in 1884. This murder was very similar to the murders
that would be committed by the mysterious Jack the Ripper several years
later. Was Jack the Ripper actually Vandal Savage or did Savage inspire
someone else to become Jack the Ripper several years later?

In Grant Morrison's DOOM PATROL, a strange being named Redjack (I
think) claimed to have some connection with Jack the Ripper.

In Karl Kesel's SUPERBOY, there was a Jack the Ripper type character. I
think he was a clone of the original Jack the Ripper. I don't remember the
details.

Were there any other Jack the Ripper appearances/ connections/ references
in the DCU???

IAmHungryMember

posted February 08, 2003 04:28 PM

Could Redjack be a Star Trek reference to that entity that killed women
and then framed Scotty for the murders?

outpost2Member

posted February 08, 2003 08:00 PM

THE BATMAN OF 2045-2050

History:

By 2045, Mr. Cohen had become a world-class gymnast, and a doctoral
candidate in criminology at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in
New York. He idolized the original Batman, and was researching a thesis on
the hero's spectacularly brilliant career. Although Batman's true identity
had never been revealed to the world, Cohen had deduced it. Beneath
abandoned Wayne Manor, in the once proud suburbs of Gotham City, he
discovered the original Batcave. He was down in the Hall of Trophies,
taking notes and holograms, when the first hail of ICBMs shattered the
northeast. World War III had begun. If he hadn't been sheltered far below
ground, he might easily have been among the 150 million who died.

When Cohen finally emerged, it was to a scene of soul-numbing horror
and devastation. Law and order were non-existent. Plunder gangs roved
everywhere -- looting, raping, venting their mindless rage amid the ruins
of a world that had gone insane. Miraculously, both his parents had
survived the cataclysm. His mother, Miriam Cohen, was a rabbi who, among
her other humanitarian concerns, had campaigned fruitlessly but tirelessly
for handgun control. His father, Kenneth Cohen, had served as a top-level
disarmament negotiator under three administrations. From them, he had
inherited a compassion for victims of violence and a fervent desire for
world peace. But compassion was in short supply after the holocaust, while
the desire for scapegoats seemed to have no end.

One organization of crazed fanatics, the National Reconstruction
Alliance, focused their hatred on two groups: advocates of arms control
... and Jews. Unfortunately for them, Cohen's parents were both. They were
murdered in cold-blood one night while walking the streets of the city.
There was no way he could ever bring them back, but he could do something
to help bring back the civilized values they'd believed in ... the values
they'd taught him to believe in. It was then that he remembered the
Batman.

Cohen established a headquarters in the Statue of Liberty, and created
his own bat-costume, equipping it with special features suitable to his
place and time. And in memory of his parents, he made a solemn vow. As
long as he lived, there would be no firearms allowed in New York ... and
God help anyone who tried to stop him from keeping that vow.

The new Batman was last seen in 2050, when the time-lost gunfighter
named Jonah Hex was tricked by the criminal organization called the
Combine into believing that Batman had kidnapped Hex's friend, Stiletta.

Oops. I meant to mention that 90% of the above text is lifted directly
from HEX #11, which was written by Michael Fleisher.

Koppy McFadMember

posted February 19, 2003 12:26 AM

Hey, now that Speed Saunders is a supporting character in the HAWKMAN
book, how about someone doing some Speed?

Bad pun, but seriously.....

IceMaster14New Member

posted February 19, 2003 02:01 AM

Hey, I know a bit about #101 (the Global Guardians portion).

What do you need to know?

RajahMember

posted February 19, 2003 02:58 AM

THE BLACK BAT

As part of the special double-sized BATMAN #600 that kicked off the
"Bruce Wayne: Fugitive" saga, the DC editorial staff decided to include
several backup features of "previously unprinted Batman stories". The
first of these was "The Mystery of the Black Bat!", a time-travel tale
that appeared to be from the lighthearted Batman comics of the 1950s, most
likely illustrated by Dick Sprang or Sheldon Moldoff, though "these
stories had no credits listed".

Watching the excavation of an old mining town outside Gotham on
television, Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson are astounded when the visiting
scientist unveils his discovery-- a dime novel from the 1870s called "The
Black Bat Rides". The cover of this book features a Batman-like character
said to have been based off a historical figure of the time. Intrigued,
Bruce and Dick decide to pay a visit to their friend Professor Carter
Nichols, creator of a wondrous time machine that has sent them on
adventures in many different eras.

Nichols successfully transports them to the 1870s where they promptly
change into their Batman and Robin personas. Soon after, they meet Samuel
Braxton, a tall black man in a tattered Union uniform. The Dynamic Duo
help Braxton fight a group of Confederate soldiers and Braxton is quite
taken by the heroes' dramatic (and somewhat frightening) costumes. Batman
and Robin continue helping Braxton as he continues his duties as a
conductor on the Underground Railroad, helping escaped slaves. The Gotham
heroes agree to guide a group of former slaves to freedom while Braxton
attends to another mission. As a parting gift, they give him a batarang to
remember them by.

Batman and Robin's group is soon taken by surprise and attacked by a
Confederate patrol. The soldiers tie the heroes up, mistaking them for
Northern spies. Suddenly, a batarang whizzes by and cuts their bonds. The
menacing figure of the Black Bat comes riding down the hill and the three
costumed champions soundly defeat the soldiers. After the commotion, the
Black Bat removes his mask to reveal Samuel Braxton. Influenced by
Batman's costume and the awe and fear it inspires, Braxton had decided to
spook the soldiers. Seeing the effectiveness of this tactic, he decides to
continue helping people as the Black Bat.

Batman and Robin soon feel themselves being drawn back to the present
and quickly change back to their civilian clothes. Yet they are left with
a conundrum-- was Samuel always the Black Bat or did he become the Black
Bat because of their visit to his era? If they inspired him, where did the
dime novel that prompted their trip in the first place originate? It's
enough to make a crimefighter's head spin.

Just as astounding to the readers of BATMAN #600 is that the tale of
the Black Bat is actually not a "lost" Batman story at all. It and several
other backup features were created specifically for the issue. "The
Mystery of the Black Bat" was in fact scripted by Ed Brubaker and drawn by
James Tucker as a homage to that era. In hindsight, this seems obvious.
The story was sursprisingly progressive for the conservative 50s and very
aware of the paradoxes of time travel.

However, I must admit that for a while, I myself was suckered in by
this charming (and misleading) story.

(HISTORICAL NOTE: The Black Bat is also the name of a pulp hero of the
1930s that bore a striking similarity to Batman. His origin may have had
an influence on Two-Face's backstory as well. This guy's real though,
folks. Honest.)

David BedfordMember

posted February 19, 2003 08:02 AM

Originally posted by MrMGL:

Were there any other Jack the Ripper appearances/ connections/
references in the DCU???

In SUPERGIRL, Buzz was seen as the man who inspired the Ripper (or
someone strikingly similar) to commit his crimes.

outpost2Member

posted February 19, 2003 11:48 AM

Originally posted by IceMaster14:

Hey, I know a bit about #101 (the Global Guardians portion).
What do you need to know?

I gave an overview of The Global Guardians back in Round V, but feel
there are a lot of details that could be added. Read the entry at
www.infiniteearths.org/dcu/msgboards/obscurechars5
and decide if there is anything you can add. Welcome aboard!

posted March 01, 2003 10:12 PM
Some people pointed out a few errors to me in the list on page one, so I
went back and took a closer look. I don't know how it happened, probably a
screw-up when I was editing in Excel, but somehow the asteriskes
indicating "remaining entries" got totally jumbled. To save space, I'm
just going to post the remaining "to do" list, so ignore what you saw on
page one and go with this one. Hopefully, this time, I'll get it right.

Digging through some old "Obscure Batman Characters" archives, I discovered
postings which cover the following characters:
101 the Club Of Heroes
135.1 the Eagle
173 the Gaucho
268 the Knight I and the Squire II
279 the Legionary
325 the Musketeer
381 the Ranger
443 the Squire I
524 Wingman

outpost2Member

posted March 04, 2003 08:46 PM

Originally posted on the Batman message boards by
Mikishawm on August 20, 2000 09:46 PM :

By 1950, the legend of Batman had circled the globe. The tale of the man
who built himself into a crime-fighting icon inspired imitators not just
in the United States but across Europe and beyond. These are the stories
of a few of them.

An English village known as Wordenshire was home to the Knight and
Squire, a father and son team who were secretly the Earl of Wordenshire
and Cyril. The Knight was clad in gold armor and chain mail while the
Squire wore a matching tunic and archer's cap. Inspired by the story of
the Bat-Signal, the duo arranged for the townspeople to sound the rectory
bell whenever they were needed. These modern cavaliers rode into battle on
unique motorcycles with horse's heads mounted on the front -- their war horses!

A few years earlier, Nazi spies had been captured near Stonehenge and
were rumored to have hidden a fortune in stolen gold somewhere in the
area. In the latter half of 1950, a band of Gotham crooks led by Matt
Thorne (no relation to the Crime Doctor) learned of the gold and headed
for the site of the spies' trial -- Wordenshire.

Batman and Robin pursued the gang to England and, inevitably, met their
British counterparts. It was not an auspicious occasion. The Knight and
the Squire entered the fray between the Dynamic Duo and the Thorne mob and
unintentionally allowed the crooks to escape. Batman tried to lessen the
embarrassment of the situation by suggesting that the foursome swap
partners, allowing the relatively inexperienced British heroes to observe
their idols in action.

Even this solution proved less than ideal. The Squire ended up a
temporary hostage of Thorne, forcing Batman to stand idle while the gang
fled from Stonehenge. Soon after, the Knight was nearly electrocuted,
requiring Robin to save him while permitting Thorne to escape yet again.

Capping the whole disastrous affair was Thorne's discovery of the gold
beneath the Earl of Wordenshire's own castle. Batman and Robin deferred to
the Knight and Squire, allowing them to capture the villains on their home
turf. Unfortunately, Thorne had spotted the war-horses in the Knight's
version of the Batcave, deduced the hero's true identity and said as much
to the assembled reporters and police. The theory failed to hold up under
scrutiny, though, especially after the Earl and Cyril appeared opposite
the Knight and Squire to inquire what was going on. As always, Batman and
Robin's expertise with make-up and disguise was flawless (BATMAN # 62, art
by Dick Sprang).

Within six months, another European Batman surrogate made his entry
but, learning from the Knight and the Squire's mistakes, his country
requested that the Dark Knight train him first. The prospective hero was
a naturalized American who belonged to the European nationality.
Simultaneously, Robin had suffered a broken leg and was forced to the
sidelines for six weeks while Batman took Wingman (clad in a red and
yellow costume) as his partner.

Almost immediately, paranoia sunk in and Dick Grayson became convinced
he was going to be permanently replaced. Fueling his fears were comments
among Gothamites that an adult made a more appropriate ally for Batman
than a child and, even more devastating, a snatch of conversation that
Dick overhead on his belt radio from Commissioner Gordon: "We don't need
any Robin, Batman!"

The final blow came when Dick watched television footage in which
Wingman flawlessly rescued Batman from a rooftop robbery. Back in the
Batcave, the new hero refused to reveal his identity to the unmasked
Robin. In tears, Dick confronted Batman later that evening only to learn
that the Wingman he'd met earlier was Batman himself. He and Wingman had
swapped identities for the night and Bruce had met Robin in that guise to
test its effectiveness. If the Boy Wonder couldn't see through it, no one
could. Commissioner Gordon's earlier comment, Batman added, had simply
been a statement that the European nation didn't require a substitute Robin.

Embarrassed over his jealously, Dick couldn't help but express his
elation that he and Batman were still going to be the Dynamic Duo (1951's
BATMAN # 65, by Bill Finger, Sheldon Moldoff, and Charles Paris).

By late 1954, "The Batmen Of All Nations" had proliferated to a great
enough degree that Batman decided to hold a formal conference for his
counterparts in Gotham City -- inspired by a letter from Australia's
Ranger. In addition to the Ranger, a masked man in a brown shirt and
hat, those in attendance included France's sword-wielding Musketeer
(clad in the trademark uniform), Italy's Legionary (armed with a lance
and dressed like a Roman centurion), South America's Gaucho (renowned
for his skill with the bolo) and, finally, the Knight and the Squire
(DETECTIVE COMICS # 215, by Edmond Hamilton, Sheldon Moldoff, and Charles Paris).

The heroes arrived in Gotham to a spectacular tickertape parade and
Batman began a quick overview of his techniques. Casting a pall over the
proceedings was the boast of a mobster named "Knots" Cardine "to commit
unprecedented crimes under the very noses of these great lawmen". Rising
to the challenge, the heroes took off in the direction of Cardine's first
reported robbery, the Gaucho and Ranger riding their horses, the Knight
and Squire astride their vehicular counterparts, and the rest crammed into
the Batmobile.

The gang managed to escape and, incredibly, evaded multiple roadblocks.
Only the Legionary seemed to have spotted anything -- a distinctive series
of scratches on the side of the getaway car, "as though by bushes -- so
their hideout must be in a thickly-wooded country region". The fact that
Batman had missed the clue -- and seemed to be at a loss to explain
Cardine's getaway -- shook the confidence of the other Batmen, but they
kept their opinions to themselves.

Riding with Batman and Robin, the Legionary spotted the bushes that he
imagined had scratched Cardine's vehicle. Batman went ahead to investigate
an abandoned house in the wooded area and the other heroes could only
watch helplessly as the structure exploded in a fireball. The Dark Knight,
it seemed, was dead.

With Gotham in a state of shock, the international heroes vowed to
avenge him. Taking over as their leader, the Legionary observed that
Batman "was a great man -- but only human. ... I believe 'Knots' Cardine
set this death-trap to remove Batman so he could strike at that bank
currency transferal Batman was to guard".

The Legionary offered to ride with the armored van and, at an opportune
moment, pulled a gun on the driver. Cardine's gang poured out of the woods
and the door of the truck was opened to reveal -- Batman! With the aid of
the now-arriving Robin and the others, the thieves were quickly rounded
up. The Legionary was unmasked as Cardine, who'd abducted the true Roman
hero the moment he landed in the United States.

"His first 'clue' made me suspect him ... he was on the dark side of
that getaway car and couldn't have seen those scratches on it."
Suspicious, Batman allowed the Legionary to take the lead in the
investigation. As a precaution, the Dark Knight threw his batarang into
the supposed hideout and, when it exploded, he allowed Robin and the
others to believe him dead until he could draw Cardine's gang into the
open. "Knots" had kept his mob abreast of the heroes' plans thanks to "a
walkie-talkie mike inside his helmet, with his spear for an aerial".

"To think that for a moment I doubted your ability, Batman!" the
Musketeer admitted. "I apologize."

"Si," added the Gaucho. "There is, after all, only one real Batman in
the world!"

In 1957, the international heroes (minus the Ranger) were gathered in
the United States once more, this time at the invitation of Metropolis
millionaire and philanthropist John Mayhew. Years before Maxwell Lord
funded the Justice League, Mayhew offered Superman, Batman, Robin, and the
others a skyscraper complex that he dubbed "The Club Of Heroes". He
offered to sign over the deed for the property to whomever the group chose
as their chairman (WORLD'S FINEST # 89, by Ed Hamilton, Dick Sprang, and
Stan Kaye).

Superman and Batman each insisted that the other was most deserving and
Mayhew was forced to suggest a solution: "Whoever performs the greatest
feats in the next few days will be your chairman." In an amusing display
of modesty, both Superman and Batman performed their subsequent
crimefighting activities with as much discretion as possible -- even as
the international heroes were downplaying their own efforts in favor of
the two icons.

Abruptly, though, Superman was laid low by a mysterious illness
reminiscent of Kryptonite poisoning and a new hero named Lightning-Man,
clad in an orange costume with a purple cape and cowl, came on the scene.
Even as Lightning-Man's displays of heroism racked up, from dispersing a
tornado to preventing an airplane crash, Superman and Batman suspected the
worst. They feared the new crimebuster wanted to claim the chairmanship of
the Club -- and the property -- for himself.

As Superman's sick spells continued at twenty-four hour intervals, Batman
began to form a new conclusion, one that the Man of Steel ultimately confirmed.
A fragment of a Kryptonite asteroid had entered Earth's orbit. As it passed
over Metropolis each day, Superman fell into a sickly, amnesiac state. "Your
strong instincts to prevent disaster, and to keep your identity secret,
still moved you to action," the Dark Knight explained. "And so, unaware
who you really were, you yourself became Lightning-Man. And each time,
when the Kryptonite amnesia-influence passed away, you couldn't remember
that you'd been Lightning-Man."

To the cheers of the other heroes, Batman told the Man of Steel that
"you won the chairmanship fairly as Lightning-Man ... so we insist that as
Superman, you keep it."

"I might have known all the time," added Lois Lane, "NO ONE could ever
top Superman, except himself!"

In 1958, Bill Finger (with Jack Kirby on the art) rewrote the DETECTIVE
# 215 episode as a Green Arrow story in ADVENTURE COMICS # 250. "The Green
Arrows Of The World" included the Bowman of the Bush, the Phantom
of France, and archers from Japan, Mexico, Polynesia, and Switzerland.
The fake hero in this episode proved to be the Bowman of Britain.

That was then.

This is now.

In the revised history of the DC Universe, the international heroes still
existed but were no longer inspired by Batman and Robin. The earliest of
these heroes was Percy Sheldrake, the young man destined to be the Earl of
Wordenshire. His history was related in the Roy Thomas-scripted YOUNG
ALL-STARS # 22 (1988):

"My father was ... killed in North Africa (in 1940). Just prior to my
twentieth birthday (in early 1942), mother and I moved from Wordenshire
village to London -- where we were promptly caught in one of the
Luftwaffe's bombing raids." The Shining Knight rescued Percy but his
mother had perished. With Winston Churchill at his side, "Sir Justin vowed
at once to take me as his Squire, so that I could serve Great Britain in a
very special way. He worked with me since then, whenever he was in England
... but kept me a secret, until quite recently."

With chainmail armoring his torso and a red bandana as a mask, Percy
took the identity of the Squire and joined other international heroes
in June of 1942 on a "morale-building" tour of the U.S. with the Young
All-Stars. The All-Stars' Tigress became enamoured of the young Englishman
but he quickly brushed away her advances, revealing that his wife and
young son, Cyril, waited for him back in Britain. Riding astride the
Shining Knight's flying horse, Winged Victory, the Squire fought off an
attack by agents of Axis Amerika but was too late to save the life of the
Tigress (YAS # 23).

In the wake of the final battle with Axis Amerika (YAS # 25), the
Squire prepared to return to England (YAS # 26), first joining the Shining
Knight and the Seven Soldiers of Victory in their battle with the Skull
(YAS # 27, a post-Crisis account of LEADING COMICS # 5). "Just wait till
(Cyril's) old enough to realize his dad was once Squire to the Shining
Knight, from the days of King Arthur. Say -- perhaps, one day, I'll be a
Knight, and my son will be MY Squire. Wouldn't THAT be a corker?"

During the same time, the Justice Society had embarked on a good will
mission to Europe to deliver "food to starving patriots" (YAS # 27, based
on ALL-STAR COMICS # 14). As explained in Thomas' 1986 INFINITY, INC. # 34
(using "historical concepts created by R.J.M. Lofficier"), "during the
early 1950s, several recipients of the JSA's kindness, while having no
super-powers themselves, became some of the first real costumed heroes to
emerge outside the borders of the United States itself:"

"The Legionary, who had been a young anti-fascist Italian in the early
1940s; the Knight and the Squire: as a British subject, the father had
spent the war as a P.O.W.; The Gaucho, who, though an Argentinian, had
spied for the Allies inside Nazi Germany itself; The Musketeer, who'd been
a member of the French Resistance, at home with either sword or firearms;
and Wingman, who, though born in neutral Sweden, had fought as a youth
with the Norwegian Underground."

In 1957, the metahuman immortal known as Doctor Mist urged the creation
of "a supra-national organization code-named the Dome, headquartered in
(a) mansion in Paris. ... At first, only the five masked Europeans
operated under the Dome's supervision, the Gaucho having returned to
Buenos Aires." As the years passed, more international heroes joined and
eventually the team became known as the Global Guardians.

At least two of the original heroes were still semi-active in recent years.
The Legionary was part of a Global Guardians investigation of a pharmaceutical
company's role in the resurrection of Agent Axis (1987's BLUE BEETLE # 20,
in an R.J.M. Lofficier subplot), while the second Squire (now Sir Cyril, Earl
of Wordenshire) was a British spymaster (1988's NEW TEEN TITANS # 44, also
scripted by the Lofficiers).

A personal note: I've always taken a tiny bit of pride in the fact
that, most likely, I played a role in the creation of the 1950s Global
Guardians. In 1984, I had an article published in AMAZING HEROES # 50 that
listed all of DC's international heroes. In addition to the relatively
recent Global Guardians, I also included the Batmen of Many Nations and
the truly obscure Wingman, whose sole 1951 appearance has never been
reprinted. Imagine, my surprise, then, when Wingmen and the other 1950s
heroes turned up in that issue of INFINITY, INC. I wonder if the
Lofficiers read that article?

outpost2Member

posted March 04, 2003 08:47 PM

Originally posted on the Batman message boards by
Hellstone on August 23, 2000 07:28 AM :

The latest sighting of Sir Cyril / Squire II was a one-panel appearance in
JLA #26 (Feb 99) where he had taken the identity of Knight II and had a
third, female Squire on his side. They were both part of the Ultra-Marine
Corps of Superbia. (They were not identified/named in this story, but
Grant Morrison later explained it in an interview.)

outpost2Member

posted March 04, 2003 08:48 PM

Originally posted on the Batman message boards by
Mikishawm on January 06, 2001 02:18 PM :

Amateurs made Batman nervous. There were exceptions -- including, he'd
grudgingly admit, Batwoman -- but generally the would-be crimefighters
who'd used Gotham as their launching pad were more trouble than they were
worth. Particularly those with hidden agendas. Even now, Deadshot weighed
heavily on the Dark Knight's mind.

All of these thoughts ran through Batman's head on a summer evening in
1959 (BATMAN # 127, art by Dick Sprang and possibly written by Bill
Finger). While making an appearance at the Gotham Book Fair, he and Robin
had leaped into action to prevent the Joker's theft of the proceeds but
found themselves locked in an armored car instead. In the darkened
interior, the Dynamic Duo watched in astonishment as the reinforced metal
doors crumpled before them. Of course, they must have thought, Superman
was paying one of his frequent visits to Gotham.

Not quite, they soon learned -- unless the Man of Steel had taken to
dressing like a bird. The stranger was covered head to toe in an
orange/tan feathered costume, complete with sharpened claws on his hands
and feet and a beak to match, brown tufts on his forearms and calves, a
feathery brown cape, and a red chest icon displaying the United States'
noble symbol. "I must conceal the secret of my REAL IDENTITY, gentleman,
but you may address me as The Eagle. With my unusual powers, we can
battle against crime side by side."

With the Dynamic Duo bringing up the rear, the Eagle pursued the Joker
towards some of Gotham's ubiquitous giant props, in this case gargantuan
replicas of books such as "Treasure Island" and "The Adventures of Robin
Hood". Escaping the heroes through a passageway in "Doorway To Laughter", the
villain cackled that "there's nothing like losing yourself in a good book!"

If Batman and Robin had been surprised by a new hero muscling into
their team, they were completely thunderstruck to find him waiting for
them in the Batcave. The Eagle was Alfred Pennyworth!

While cleaning the Batcave's trophy room, the butler had lost his
balance and become entangled in the wires of a super-weapon confiscated
from "Doc" Cranium. The weapon, in turn, fired a bolt of energy into a
crystalline space artifact contributed by Superman. The crystal reflected
the force back at Alfred and the end result, he declared, was that "I'm
INVULNERABLE! I can LEAP hundreds of feet and LIFT a ton. You WILL accept
me as a third member of your team, won't you?"

Alfred had always aspired to be a crimefighter, even going so far as to
borrow Batman's costume early on and masquerade as the Dark Knight (1944's
BATMAN # 22). And Batman had to acknowledge that he'd benignly supported
such activities by asking his trusted friend to impersonate him on
multiple occasions (BATMAN # 55, 87, 94, 117, 120). What else could he say
but yes?

The following morning's encounter with The Joker seemed to fulfill all
of Batman's misgivings. Displaying the grace of his namesake, the Eagle
soared into the air towards the rogue's perch on a podium. Unfortunately,
he overshot the Clown Prince of Crime, leaving evidence of his passage in
two successive billboards. Even as the Joker was climbing to the safety of
a helicopter and Batman and Robin were swinging towards him, the Eagle was
attempting to salvage his first attempt by using super-strength to tear a
giant net from the billboard he'd just damaged. Instead of snaring his
target, the Eagle only succeeded in tangling his partners in the webbing.

Undeterred, the Eagle promised "an amazing example of super-strength
coupled with super-ingenuity" as the Joker and his gang fled the Museum of
Egyptology. Blocking the underpass on the escape route with a looming
bronze statue of Anubis, the Eagle swooped in to knock the villain out
cold. Ominously, the Joker laughed off the blow and responded with one of
his own that rendered his opponent senseless. Diving into the fracas with
a pair of chariots, Batman and Robin deflected the Joker and company's
barrage of spears and left the entire gang sprawled on their backsides.

His powers now evaporated, Alfred took a degree of satisfaction in that
evening's Gotham Globe, which played up the Eagle's role in the capture.
"I guess I WAS pretty good, after all. A little more experience and I
might have surpassed you and Robin."

Whatever Alfred's failings as a super-hero may have been, he was a
truly good man and a selfless friend, facts that were proven beyond a
shadow of a doubt only five years later. In 1964, taking the force of a
falling boulder meant for Batman and Robin, Alfred Pennyworth gave his
life for his friends (DETECTIVE # 328).

A medical examiner had confirmed that Alfred was dead and yet, against
all reason, the noble butler was discovered days later in a state of
semi-consciousness within his refrigerated crypt. The intervention of an
eccentric scientist saved Alfred's life that night ... and unintentionally
gave birth to the butler's dark side while he tried to restore his health.
In possession of an impressive complement of psionic powers, the strange
albino-like being declared himself the Outsider, sworn enemy of Batman and
Robin (DETECTIVE # 356).

Did dormant super-energy in Alfred's body pull him back from the jaws
of death -- and perhaps influence his transformation into the Outsider?
The 24-hour career of the Eagle may have been more significiant than
anyone realized.

outpost2Member

posted March 17, 2003 08:59 PM

AQUAGIRL
Adventure Comics #266 (Nov 1959)
"Aquaman Meets Aquagirl!"

Lisa Morel studies marine life through the glass bottom of her yacht,
when suddenly she sees a man trapped on the sea floor in the grip of a
giant clam. She is so desperate to save him that she dives into the water
without any breathing equipment, carrying only an underwater torch. She
quickly recognizes the victim as Aquaman. Lisa works under the water for
over five minutes before she finally frees him. Certain that the woman is
about to drown, Aquaman rushes her to the surface.

Aquaman questions how Lisa survived under the water for so long, but
she doesn't understand it herself. They decide to experiment and, after
one hour underwater, Lisa claims she feels that she could last for many
hours more. She mentions that her father is Dr. Hugo Morel, the famous
ichthyologist, who has written many books on the natural history of fish.
Aquaman suggests that they ask her father if he has any theories. Lisa
races Aquaman through the water, and even swims up a waterfall, back to
her home.

Lisa's parents cannot believe her remarkable claims, so she
demonstrates by mentally commanding some seals swimming in the water
nearby. Dr. Morel is amazed, and asks Aquaman to recount his own origins
for possible clues. Aquaman tells them of how his Atlantean mother married
his father, a lighthouse keeper. He also says his mother left him a diary
about life in Atlantis. He then informs them that his hour on land has
expired and he must return to the sea for the rest of the day.

The following morning, Aquaman returns to the Morel's home where he
finds Lisa in a costume which is identical to his own. She explains that a
few minutes after he left she began gasping for air, so she slept all
night in their swimming pool. Lisa has named herself Aquagirl and says she
can now join Aquaman on his sea patrols. He insists that she can't, and
tells her not to ask why. She ignores him and dives into the sea.

The following day, Aquaman and Aquagirl help a chartered boat celebrate
someone's birthday.

The next evening, they discover that an iceberg has floated into busy
shipping lanes. Aquagirl fails to completely destroy the berg, so Aquaman
uses luminous fish to warn the ships off.

The next day, as Aquagirl explores an undersea grotto to collect rare
shells for her father, she suddenly can't breathe or swim, and feels the
pressure of tons of water crushing her. Aquaman rescues his new "sidekick"
and brings her to the surface. He says he expected this would happen, and
tells her that she has permanently lost her powers.

Aquaman explains that, after he had left Lisa's house on the first day,
he read through his mother's diary. He found the following passage:
"Because of continuous seepage through the glass dome, our people had to
adapt gradually to undersea life! However, some children were born who
were throwbacks to an earlier era! They could adapt only a brief time to
underwater life and would eventually die in Atlantis' watery world! These
infants were ejected in waterproof lifeboats to the surface! However,
those rare children rejected by Atlantis for their own survival's sake ...
were sent upward only when a passing ship was spotted! This insured their
being picked up alive!"

When Lisa asks what those infants have to do with her, Aquaman explains
that his mother wrote that Atlantis' doctors were able to recognize every
"throwback" at birth by a physical characteristic peculiar to them alone.
They all have purple eyes ... just like Lisa's! The powers came to her
suddenly because of the stressful situation of seeing him "drowning", but
they were fated to vanish almost as suddenly.

Later, Dr. Morel admits that 20 years earlier, while cruising in his
yacht, he spotted an infant in a lifeboat. The Morel's were childless, so
they decided to raise Lisa as their own. Even though she is now powerless,
Lisa Morel is thankful for her brief career as Aquagirl.

XanadudeMember

posted March 17, 2003 09:14 PM

Outpost!

Thank you for posting the Aquagirl bio...

Now if someone could just find some info on the OTHER obscure
Aquagirl that was around before Tula...

outpost2Member

posted March 18, 2003 11:41 AM

You're very welcome, Xanadude. We lucked out on Lisa Morel because her
story was reprinted recently in the AQUAMAN ARCHIVES. I too hope that
someone else reading this has access to WORLD'S FINEST #133 and would do
us the favor of summarizing the second Aquagirl story. Maybe I'll take a
shot at the third Aquagirl (Tula), since I own her first appearance.

Hellst0neMember

posted March 20, 2003 01:29 PM

Resuming my duties...

THE SPONGE MAN (a.k.a. The Sponge)
Created by Arnold Drake and Bob Brown

Miklos was a deep-sea sponge-diver who lived a rather good life on the
coast of Florida. He earned enough money to live on, had a good apartment,
and a shy, continous flirt with Lisa, the girl next door.

One day Miklos came upon a spectacular find at the bottom of the ocean,
a strange sponge-like object, almost shaped like a man, rotted to a
likewise peculiar, green-hued rock. While examining the thing, a vicious
moray eel suddenly flashed by. Jerking aside, Miklos accidentally gashed
his hand on the jagged rock. At first Miklos dismissed the injury as "just
a scratch", but after bringing the strange sponge to the surface and
carrying it home, his hand had begun to throb intensely, his body ached,
and he just wanted a night's sleep.

When Miklos wakened the next morning, he was in for the shock of his
life. His injured hand had... changed. And not only his hand, he discovered.
His entire body had mutated into a freakish sponge-like being.

Knowing that the famous Challengers of the Unknown were in town testing
diving gear, the desperate Miklos sought them out, figuring that they may
be the only ones to help him. Arriving in Miklos' apartment, Prof Haley of
the Challengers examined his find, concluding that the "rock" was actually
a meteor possessing a freakish life-force that had been transmitted to
Miklos through the cut on his hand.

Miklos lowered his voice and explained that this was not all of it. He
had found out that by concentrating, he could now do strange things,
absorbing water just like a sponge. But not only water - energy and sound
could apparently be absorbed by his freakish body. Stunned, the Challs
decided to take a sample of the meteor and test it, promising Miklos to do
their best to counteract his condition.

What neither Miklos nor the Challengers were aware of, was that his
next-door neighbor, a sinister man named Stacy, had overheard the entire
conversation from the other side of the wall. When the Challs had left the
building, Stacy came over to Miklos and explained that he knew of a doctor
who could help him. Sadly, this doctor lived in another country and it
would cost a fortune bringing him here and setting up a lab for him.
Miklos answered that he was not a wealthy man and could not raise that
kind of money. Stacy protested: "With your special powers, you could
take it! In your condition, who would blame you?"

Miklos refused to steal to cure himself. But later that night, as the
strange-looking man restlessly prowled the streets, he was tormented by
the fact that people around him were repulsed by his appearance, even
Lisa, the girl next door.

The next day, the Challengers discovered Miklos on the streets and
gasped in shock as the Sponge Man started to absorb all color in the area,
leaving a black and white world in his trail. Shortly afterwords all sound
was absorbed as well. Without functioning traffic lights, the traffic was
stuck in a jam. And without sound, the police were not reached by the
burglar alarm of a nearby bank, from which Stacy ran out with a big loot.
The Challs attempted to stop Stacy, but the Sponge Man then absorbed all
their strength, leaving them unconscious. Lying in the streets, the
Challengers would have been killed by a driverless truck, had they not
been saved by Miklos. Miklos explained that he wished them no harm but
that Stacy and the stolen money was his only way to be cured.

The Challs of course realized that Stacy had tricked Miklos. After a
wild chase, they were able to approach him and let him catch a glimpse of
Stacy's police record, proving that Stacy was a cheap crook. As Miklos
realized the terrible truth of the revelation, his mind snapped. In a
state of shock, he left the Challs and Stacy behind him, wandering
aimlessly, absorbing all water in his path, and growing as he did.

Prof theorized that the Sponge Man would continue to drain the rivers,
lakes, and oceans. Ships would strand, populations would thirst while the
creature would grow bigger and bigger until he eventually would become
bigger than the Earth.

To ensure that the worst would not happen, the Challengers prepared a
lake with tranquilizing chemicals, in hope of putting the Sponge Man to
sleep. The Sponge Man absorbed the body of water, and the Challengers' plan
had nearly succeeded when a forest fire started near the lake. While the
Challs evacuated the area, the tranquilized Sponge Man was nearly consumed
by the flames. Suddenly, the cry of a child pierced his dulled mind. A
frightened little girl was trapped in the midst of the fire while the
Challengers helplessly watched. But the cry made the giant Sponge Man
regain his senses. With a final effort, he lurched to his feet and let the
water of his body pour down on the flames and put out the forest fire.

Once the water - and the sleeping potion - were expelled from his body,
the Sponge Man was reduced to normal size. The Challs offered peace and
asked him to come with them so they might find a cure for him. But the
Sponge Man refused.

"A cure? When? Next year? In ten years? Maybe never? And all that time,
where will I be... locked up in a laboratory cage... like a guinea pig? No,
thanks! I'm a freak! There's no place for me on land!"

With these words, Miklos jumped into the ocean, trading his old life
for a new one on the bottom of the sea, surrounded by sponges and marine
life. While the Challs would continue searching for a cure, it seemed as
if the Sponge Man had finally found peace.
(Challengers Of The Unknown [1st series] #47)

Months later, that peace was disturbed when U.S. military forces began
to build an undersea defense system called "Fortess Fish Hook", a dome
with aqua-troops, submarines, missile launchers and more. To their
assistance, they had America's foremost underwater experts, the Sea
Devils.

However, dynamiteers clearing the area for the installation were rather
ruthless and destroyed a huge region, killing all sea life in the area...
and waking the dormant Sponge Man. Stunned by the blast, the sinister sea
thing regained its feet and stared at the carnage about him, including all
of his dead "friends". Furiously, the Sponge Man once again started
absorbing water into his swelling body, and attacked the engineers, the
military forces, and the Sea Devils in a fit of rage.

After a quick battle, the Sponge Man captured the female Sea Devil Judy
Watson, but let her go since she somehow, deep in his dim memories,
reminded Miklos of the neighbor girl Lisa he had once been in love with.
The Sponge Man turned away leaving the Sea Devils behind him.

The Sea Devils had recognized the creature as the Sponge Man that the
Challengers had encountered months earlier, and they decided to get their
assistance in capturing the creature. The cooperation would not be
frictionless, though. The Challs still considered Miklos their friend and
would not agree to hurt him. The military and the Sea Devils, on the other
hand, had only witnessed the Sponge's destructive side and intended to do
whatever was needed to stop the monster. Furthermore, tension grew between
the two teams as Judy Walton, girlfriend of the Sea Devils' leader Dane
Dorrance, started to show interest in Ace Morgan of the Challengers.

Meanwhile, a meeting was being held in the secret HQ of the notorious
criminal organization known to the world as Scorpio. A "foreign power"
had paid Scorpio to sabotage "Fortress Fish Hook", but to their luck, the
Sponge Man was doing their work for them.

When the Sponge next appeared, attacking an army platform, the
Challengers tried to reason with their friend. The creature cried out:
"No, you are not my friends! My friends are the fish of the sea!
You humans killed them... now I kill you!" With those words he
attacked the Challs. The Sea Devils joined the battle, but even the
combined might of the two teams was no match for the absorbing abilities
of the Sponge. Drained of energy, heat, color and sound, the heroes were
almost defeated. Finally, they got lucky as they were able to stun the
Sponge with an electrical shock.

The Sponge Man was captured and contained in a plexi-glass cage. The
military was satisfied but the Challengers were disturbed. Was there no
way they could help Miklos?

Then, fate seemed to intervene. Appearing on the scene was Lisa,
Miklos' former neighbor, who claimed she would do anything she could to
help him. The Challs brought Lisa to meet Miklos, and as her soothing
voice penetrated his warped mind, the never-forgotten love that Miklos had
for this girl jogged his memory. He remembered his true self as Lisa told
him that the Challengers were his friends. If they could cure Miklos, he
and Lisa could be together. Miklos calmed down and agreed to cooperate.

But of course, this was not the end of it. As soon as Miklos and Lisa
were left alone, she let him out from his imprisonment, fooling him into
believing that the Challs were evil liars, then manipulated him into
destroying the military bases once again.

When the Challengers and the Sea Devils learned about the Sponge's
escape, they first quarreled about whose fault it was, then started
fighting each other, but when June admitted that she had deliberately
flirted with Ace to make Dane jealous, both teams calmed down and analyzed
the situation. Realizing that Lisa was the only one who could have let
Miklos out of his cage, they learned that she was, in fact - a Scorpio
agent!

June made amends for her childish flirting games by making Lisa talk.
Knowing every female's weakness, she simply threatened Lisa with cutting
off all her hair, after which the hard-boiled villainess sang like a
canary. Effective torture, if not politically correct.

The heroes then attacked Scorpio's headquarters, defeating most of the
criminals, but were nonetheless unable to prevent their launching of a
missile filled with poisonous gas, in order to pollute the waters around
the military sites. However, the Sponge Man arrived on the scene, grown to
gargantuan size after absorbing loads and loads of water. Believing that
the missile was aimed at him, Miklos caught it and threw it back on the
Scorpio HQ. The Challs and the Sea Devils avoided being crushed by it, but
the poisonous gas had started leaking out, threatening the heroes, the
villains, and the entire nearby town.

Hesitantingly, the Sponge Man decided to absorb the gas and save the
humans, but then, ironically, he started to transform back to human
himself. Were he now to absorb the gas, it could kill him when he had
fully returned to human, making him face an unbearable dilemma: "Why
should I die now... when I can really live again as Miklos?"

But as his common sense returned, Miklos realized that there was no
question about how he should act. With the last of his inhuman powers, he
absorbed all of the spreading poison. Then, finally completely human
again, dived into a water tank to contain it. Miklos found peace in death,
knowing that he had done the right thing.

When the press asked the Fortress' Admiral about the event, the
military man replied:
"Just say I was wrong about him... and that Miklos died a hero's death."
And Ace Morgan filled in:
"Miklos made up for all the harm he caused... like a sponge, he wiped the
slate clean.
(Challengers Of The Unknown [1st series] #51)

As a footnote, Scorpio later returned to fight super-heroes such as
the Green Lantern Hal Jordan, and were partly responsible for Celia Forrestal
becoming the heroic Skyrocket, to avenge her parents killing at the hands
of Scorpio. (Power Company: Skyrocket #1). They would return even later to
battle the hero known as Thunderbolt (Peter Cannon, Thunderbolt #2-3,
#7-12). Miklos' neighbor Lisa could very well be identical to Scorpia,
unit leader of the Scorpio troops.

POWERS:

The Sponge Man had the uncanny ability to absorb virtally anything -
liquid, gas, energy (including light, heat, and kinetic energy), and sound
- into his body. He would grow in size and strength while doing it, and
would also adapt some of the traits of what he absorbed (i.e., absorbing
colors would make him colorful, absorbing heat would make him burning hot
and his victims freezing cold, etc).

Due to the oxygen he absorbed through his body, the Sponge Man could
survive underwater.

In the 1940s, Willie Schuman worked for the Seattle News as a staff
artist, mostly drawing political cartoons and courtroom sketches, winning
a few awards on the road. Then he ghosted a bunch of strips for other
cartoonists and later did one under a pen name for years. He also earned
some money painting portraits of one of the minor super-heroes of the
1940s, the Crimson Meteor.

In his old age, Willie moved to Metropolis and sold his new strip
"Captain Tomorrow" to a syndicate, finally getting to sign his own name to
a strip.

When Clark Kent a.k.a. Superman first read the "Captain Tomorrow" strip
in the Daily Planet, he was shocked to see the similarities between the
main character and himself. The super-hero Captain Tomorrow was secretly
the mellow Bill Trent, newspaper artist for the Daily Criterion in
Cosmopolis. He even had a sweetheart named Clorid Dane, and fought several
villains reminiscent of Superman's foes. Too close to be a coincidence.

Furthermore, some people, particularly children, started to confuse
Superman with the fictional Captain Tomorrow. Disturbed, Clark Kent
visited Schuman in an attempt to get an interview with the artist, but
was met with utter suspicion. When Clark asked about from where Schuman
got his inspiration or whether he had any agenda beyond entertainment,
Schuman snapped:

"For all I know, you're the one with a hidden agenda. Maybe you want
to steal my ideas and do a strip of your own, or sell movie rights to
something I've created. Wouldn't be the first time it happened to me."
Then Schuman asked Clark to leave.

It was not until Clark revisited Schuman as Superman, that he learned
the truth. Delighted to meet one of his idols, Schuman told Superman his
life story. In the 1940s, Willie was subjected to the radiation of a
strange meteor and gained super-powers. As the heroic Crimson Meteor of
Seattle he did not get as much publicity as the "Eastern guys" got, but
his feats were admirable and his powers made him a Superman of that era.
His powers, though, started to fade pretty soon after he got them, and in
his old age, they were long gone.

Upon the death of his wife Cloris, Schuman moved to Metropolis and
created the "Captain Tomorrow" strip, based on his life as a hero, his
former secret identity and powers, mixed with some sci-fi elements and, he
admitted, "some of the modern exploits of Superman himself. Hope you don't
mind."

Although still amazed by the similarities between their lives, Superman
was calmed by Schuman's story and did not mind. He then granted Schuman a
favor. It had been decades since Schuman had last flown, but grabbing
Superman's hand as he took off for the skies, Schuman experienced that
feeling one more time. Helping Schuman "fly like an eagle" once again made
Superman feel like a great hero. Maybe even as great as Captain Tomorrow.

POWERS:

In his prime, the Crimson Meteor could juggle pianos, fly like an
eagle, and laugh if some goon hit him with a lead pipe. He could see
things a mile away and hear a baby cry in the next country.

Vernon Glute was a millionaire with no concern for his fellow man.
Words as "fat", "gross", and "a slob" would easily apply to him, although
he considered himself a gourmet. All of his money was spent on eating,
exotic dishes, an excellent kitchen and elegant dining falilcities.
Stories are still told of how Vernon Glute spent millions to obtain exotic
fruits from faraway lands, of how these fruits would be soaked for years
and years in expensive brandies and liqueurs, before they would finally
reach the table of the master gourmet, to be savored and consumed.

Yet not even these fruits could compare with Vernon Glute's favorite
delicacy - frogs' legs. Mounds and mounds of frogs' legs. Never growing
tired of this food, Vernon Glute demanded that the frogs' legs be as fresh
as possible. The frogs were to be slaughtered right in his own kitchen.

Sitting down to eat perhaps the 300th batch of frogs' legs he had
had that year, Glute was utterly shocked upon discovering that they were
under-cooked. Angered, he called for his humble cook and butler
Hormsley. When Hormsley suggested he would cook them some more, Glute
furiously threw the plate away and demanded a new batch full of newly
killed, freshly cooked frogs' legs.

The clock ticked as Vernon Glute impatiently waited and waited for
Hormsley to return from the kitchen. But for some reason, that never
happened. Finally, Glute's curiousity got the better of him. Lifting his
bulk and standing up from the dining table, something he seldom did and
therefore quite a task, Glute made an attempt to go out into the kitchen
himself and find out the reason for the delay.

But no sooner had he risen than he heard strange sounds, a squaking, as
from old wheels, and Hormsley's horrified shouting:

"No! Stay away!... Please! I didn't mean to! I was only doing as I was
told! I..."

Then, a blood-chilling scream.

Vernon Glute froze with fear, as the sounds started to appear from
everywhere around him, from behind each and every door, growing louder and
louder until it became an unbearable symphony. Things began to thud at the
doors. Millions of small objects were hitting the doors again and again,
causing the woods to splinter. The doors gave away and the terrified
Vernon caught a glimpse of what was coming to him.

Vernon Glute was never heard from again. Years passed, and the stories
about him became legend.

Years later, an incident was reported from a sleazy diner in a poorer
part of town. The joint had some vermin problems, with summer flies flying
and buzzing everywhere. Annoyed, one of the cooks whistled for "the
Fly-Catcher". Into the restaurant rolled a fat, slobby, well-dressed but
legless man on four squeaking wheels. He surveyed the scene, his eyes
riveting on one of the flies. Then, a frog's tongue propelled out from his
mouth and caught the fly. The Fly-Cather swallowed his prey, then wiped
the corner of his mouth with a linen napkin. Two young costumers fled the
diner in disgust.

Vernon Glute's fate was ironic. The man who had once savored only the
best of foods was now transformed into a half-human creature, cursed for
the rest of his miserable life to dine on the most common of insects.

APPEARANCES:

Plop! #1 (September-October 1973) "The Gourmet"

Reprinted in DC Millennium Edition: Plop! #1 (July 2000)

Hellst0neMember

posted March 22, 2003 04:15 AM

Hi again.

Just want to point out that one of the really obscure characters from
Round II -- DC's own "Popeye", Captain Strong -- makes a brief appearance
in this week's GREEN ARROW #22.

/ola

Dr. Midnight 32Member

posted March 22, 2003 12:56 PM

THE FORGOTTEN HEROES

All of the following text is taken from Adam Arnold's wonderful
'Unofficial Forgotten Heroes' page.

The Omega Men must rescue a powerless Superman from the center of the Earth.
To accomplish this, they enlist Lois Lane to find someone who can help. That
person is the now reclusive Cave Carson, who at first refuses because he gave
up the adventure business to get away from the madness. But after Lois Lane has
an outburst, Cave Carson agrees to lend his assistance in the matter.
536.10.1-536.10.4 - Cave Carson, "Like I said, my friends and I came across this
city by accident. But after we all... drifted apart, I went through a series of
assistants-- --one of whom ran off with an earlier model of the Mighty Mole, as
well as charts of some of our subterranean explorations. That's when I started
learning I couldn't trust anyone."
Lois Lane, "There's more to it than that, isn't there, Cave? One bad apple
couldn't be enough to drive you away from all mankind."
Cave Carson, "Yeah.. There's more. But it's none of your business, Lane. It
concerns nobody. Look, I agreed to help you-- --so save your questions! Just
don't badger me!"
'Silence fills the cabin of the Mighty Mole as those within peer
uncomfortably ahead into the gloom. They feel sorrow for this embittered
man-- --but there is little they can do for him.'
The group soon save Superman after a big scuffle, and the heroes part ways,
with Cave Carson wishing to be left alone.

ACTION COMICS #540
Wolfman, Kane
"World Enough and Time"

540.11.2 - 'Later, at the offices of The Daily Planet'
Lois Lane, "Okay, Perry, I worked up this story on forgotten super-heroes,
But I still think it's taking advantage of Superman's problems."
Perry White, "You worry about writing the stories, Lois! I'll worry about
what's fair!"
540.11.3 - Lois, "okay, okay. Take it easy! Look, I checked up on a whole
slew of once-famous heroes..."
Clark enters and says, "Er-- Perry, can I speak to you? It's rather urgent!
I'm still not all that well..."
540.11.4 - Lois, "We have Cave Carson, of course, and then the Sea Devils,
you might remember them..."
Clark, "...and frankly, I think it might be a good idea to get away for
awhile... to relax ..take it easy."
540.11.5 - Lois, "There was also the Suicide Squad, and a western hero called
The Vigilante. There was Ragman... ...of course there was Rip Hunter, the Time
Master, and something called Bwana Beast, and..."
Clark, "I thought I'd go to Europe or someplace like that..."
Perry, "Hold it! Hold it! HOLD IT!"
540.12.1 - Perry, "Lois, just do your story! Kent, you've got a vaca-? Kent?!
Great Caesar's ghost! He's gone!"
540.12.2-540.12.4 - 'And streaking across Metropolis...'
Superman, "Lois' story may have provided the single hope I've been
searching for! Satanis magically sabotaged every time-travel method I knew
about-- --but I'd never heard of this Rip Hunter till Lois mentioned it. And
if he's everything my x-ray vision scanned from Lois' notes, then I may
have found my entry back into the past! How frustrating not possessing my
super-speed. In the past, I'd be in California within a nano-second. Now
it will take more than an hour! Please, Rao, save my other half till I can
make it to his side! Perhaps together we'll figure a way to combine once
again!"
540.12.5 - 'Time slowly crawls on. But finally...'
Superman finally arrives over a mountain with a lab located just below
it's summit, "Lois' notes are accurate... there's a lab in these northern
California mountains. And my x-ray vision shows it belongs to Rip Hunter!
Now if he can help--"
540.13.1 - 'But...'
Superman arrives through the roof of the lab to find the severely aged
group of time masters,
"Great Krypton! You're so--"
Rip Hunter, "Old? We know that, Superman. Why do you think we came here to be
alone? What do you want of us?"
Bonnie Baxter, "Rip, maybe Superman can help us?"
Rip Hunter, "That's not why he came, Bonnie-- is it, Superman?"
540.13.2 - Superman, "No, it isn't. But maybe I can help. What happened to you?"
Rip Hunter, "Time simply caught up with us! And no you can't help! Don't even try!
Now what do you want?"
540.13.3-540.13.4 - Superman thinks, 'Strange. He's the second recluse hero
I've recently met*! Wonder if there's a connection?' [* Cave Carson in ACTION
#586 - Julie]
Superman, "Uhhh, I almost feel guilty asking you, Dr. Hunter, but I
need your help. My life is at stake!"
540.16.5 - Superman appears in the time sphere yelling, "You're wrong,
Satanis! I am here! And I'm ready to fight-- --if need be, to the finish!"

ACTION COMICS #541
Wolfman, Kane
"Once Again -- Superman"

The time sphere disappears, leaving Superman in the past to battle his
other self and Satanis. Meanwhile in the present, Lois Lane is in the
middle of rewriting her forgotten super-heroes story.

ACTION COMICS #545
Wolfman, Kane
"...With But a Single Step!"

545.21.1 - 'Evening streaks the Grand Canyon in ribbons of gold and
scarlet. Here, away from any city, away from civilization, man and nature
become one... ...excepting, of course, when man has corrupted what God has
wrought...'
545.21.2 - Inside the lab Rip Hunter, Bonnie Baxter, and Jeff Smith are
discussing the matter at hand. Bonnie asks, "What do you think, Rip?"
Rip replies, "I wish I knew... everything's going so poorly. I hate it.
Here I am-- Rip Hunter --the Time Master, they called me-- --and right now
time is my worst enemy!"
545.21.3 - "Rip, the helicopter's landing! They're coming!"
545.21.4 - Rip Hunter greets the two arrivals, "Cave Carson, is that you?
I hardly recognize you."
Cave replies, "Yeah, Hunter. It's me... and this is Dane Dorrance of
the Sea Devils."
545.21.5 - Rip, "What about Rick Flagg, Dolphin-- and all the others?"
Cave, "Don't let your pants itch, Hunter. They'll be here soon enough."
545.21.6 - Rip, "I hope so, Carson. To the world at large we're all the
Forgotten Heroes-- --but now only we can save the world!!"
'Rip Hunter's words may be true enough, but not for the reasons he expects...'

ACTION COMICS #552
Wolfman, Kane
"Another Time! Another Death!"

Vandal Savage has unleashed a series of prehistoric roots that have
ravaged Suicide Slum, but the timely intervention of Superman has averted
the loss of life. Meanwhile a meeting is getting underway 'Somewhere on
the western coast of the United States...'
552.4.1-552.4.6 - "I certainly don't mind a free vacation, but I'd like to know
why I've been invited."
Rip Hunter, "I agree. And I'd say it's about time we all learned the truth."
Dolphin, "Feel so... strange here. So... far from the... water. Will... Dolphin...
be here... long?"
Cave Carson, "Afraid so, lady. Y'see, the fate of the world rests in our hands!
A world I wanted to forsake!"
Rip Hunter, "We've all accepted our tragedies in different ways, Cave. But I agree.
It's about time to level with our newfound friends."
Animal Man, "What I wanna know is-- how'd you know about me bein' Animal Man?
I thought nobody knew. I mean, I recognize a couple of you-- Cave Carson, America's
numero uno geologist. Even Rip Hunter, the famous time-master -- although I thought
you were younger. But some of you-- sorry if I offend ya-- but you mean nothin'
to me."
552.5.1-552.5.4 - Rip Hunter, "You're right about me being younger, Animal Man I am!
Which is a part of the reason you're all here. But frankly, I don't know all of you
either. Only one man does-- --the one who brought us all here. But he's asked that
you meet him later for reasons which shall then become clear. When Cave's done you'll
see a connection."
Cave Carson, "You done, Hunter? Let me get on with it. Animal Man's right... I'm
a geologist. And to make my work easier, I created a little machine called the
Mighty Mole."
552.5.5-552.15.2 - Cave Carson relays a story of how he came across a temple filled
with treasure but soon found himself before a government grand jury because he was
on government property. Thus, he had to give all the maps and treasure back
to the government and then dropped out of sight.
Next, Dane Dorrance of the Sea Devils relates a similar story of discovering
a golden temple under the sea and then being taken in by the government.
Rick Flagg of the top secret government group the Suicide Squad relates an even
similar story to Cave Carson's. Two days later the Suicide Squad was disbanded.
Animal Man and Congo Bill, who exchanges minds with the golden gorilla named
Congorilla, both relate stories of discovering the temple in the jungles of the
world and finding their passports revoked when they were caught by the government.
Dolphin tells her side of the story as she sees the temple beneath the waves,
but she hides when she sees the Sea Devils coming. But, soon she is captured
by the government and taken aboard their ship where she manages to escape back
to the sea.
Lastly, Rip Hunter relates the story of his group traveling to the dawn of time to
discover the truth of it all. The journey was going fine until they mysteriously
came across the temple floating in the rainbow of energy waves of the time stream.
The temple started emiting a high-pitched sound and the group was rendered unconscious.
They somehow made it back to the present, aged beyond their years.
554.15.3-554.15.5 - Rip Hunter, "We had left the present time no older than thirty-five!
Even young Corky, only nineteen, was now eighty!"
Congo Bill, "I see connections, but I still don't understand."
Animal Man, "Yeah, and how did you know about me?"
Rick Flagg, "There are still many questions left unanswered."
Rip Hunter, "Don't worry, Mr. Flagg. You'll get your answers soon enough. In fact,
I think it's time you met the man who asked us all to come here. He may be the only
one who can help my friends and me become young again... ...who can solve your
particular problems-- --as well as save the world from being destroyed by its
greatest hero! Here's the man who lead us into a battle against Superman! And heaven
help the Earth if we fail at our task!"
Meanwhile in Metropolis, Superman is facing a prehistoric jungle in a protective
barrier that seems to be expanding.
554.23.1-554.23.6 - 'Meanwhile...'
A man enters the room and explains, "I'm pleased that you all could make it.
Let me introduce myself. My formal name no longer has any meaning-- --but you
can call me Immortal Man! I've brought you here because, in your own right,
you have all been heroes. You are needed to battle a danger that even now is
striking the city of Metropolis."
Rick Flagg questions, "Metropolis? That's Superman's turf. What are we
needed for?"
Immortal Man continues, "Mr. Flagg, Superman is the cause of the disaster
striking Metropolis. Indeed, the only way we can defeat the menace is to kill
Earth's Greatest Hero!"

ACTION COMICS #555
Wolfman, Kane
"The World At Time's End!"

Vandal Savage is briefing his scientist at Abraxas, Inc. as Superman
unknowingly spreads prehistoric spores throughout Metropolis park. A
scientist reveals that "We did not build the time pyramids. We can't even
guess who did... ...or what their actual purpose might be. We can only tap
their power and use it as you have commanded."
555.2.1-555.5.6 - Meanwhile, the meeting that was called by the Immortal Man
continues as the Immortal Man tells a prehistoric tale of how Vandal Adg and the
Immortal Man faced off for the first time... but "fate, in the form of
some mysterious fireball, intervened." The radiation from the fireball
made Vandar Adg immortal, and the Immortal Man found a jewel within the
fireball which he took with him as an ornament, which has made him
immortal. Over time, the two became immortal enemies as Vandar Adg became
Vandal Savage and became a king in Ancient Summer, built pyramids in
Egypt, and ravaged cities as Genghis Khan.
The Immortal Man goes on to explain that he has learned Vandal Savage infected
Superman with a "time-seed which will turn the Earth into a prehistoric nightmare!
If this growth is allowed to flourish, it will, quite frankly, mean the end of
everything! I tried contacting the Justice League but was unable to. I
needed people working with me... people who had abilities of their own.
All of you Forgotten Heroes fit that category. I need you. The world needs
you. One way to another, we've got to stop Superman before he destroys
everything we hold dear. Are you with me?"
And with that the group of men and women 'as one all chime in agreement!'
555.6.1-555.10.3 - Superman tried to prevent the spreading of the jungle without
avail, and the mayor is giving a press conference on the situation. Suddenly,
Vandal Savage appears and feeds the press what they want to hear concerning the
prehistoric jungle and how it was meant to help mankind, but Superman has
ruined it.
555.10.4 - The Forgotten Heroes watch the news cast as Vandal Savage says,
"I am sorry, but I... I tried to help."
Animal Man comments, "That crummy liar! He's got them eating out of his hand."
Immortal Man replies, "Now you understand the urgency, Animal Man!"
555.11.1-555.11.3 - Congo Bill, "Trouble is, Superman can't set the record
straight!"
Immortal Man, "Not until after he does what we told him to do. Still, Superman
doesn't need defending, he needs our help. We've got to destroy the pyramids!"
Animal Man, "Yeah, I know. How'd a jerk like Savage build them anyway?"
Immortal Man, "He didn't, Animal Man... but that is a problem for another time.
Now, you all have special abilities-- here is how you will use them."
555.11.4-555.11.5 - 'Meanwhile, ninety million miles from Earth...'
Superman thinks, "I still don't want to believe it, but my microscopic vision
confirmed what the Immortal Man 'told' me! I am the one who spread those time
spores... ...and the only way to remove them is to burn them off in the heat
of our sun! ...assuming they can be burned away!"
555.12.1-555.17.6 - In the Bahamas, Dane Dorrance and Dolphin make their way to
the golden pyramid beneath the sea, but not without some easily put-down government
resistance.
In Africa, Congo Bill makes a quick mind-switch with Congorillia and storms the
pyramid to find it is extremely advanced.
In Cambodia, Rick Flagg faces off against a prehistoric beast before he storms
the main complex.
In Brazil, Animal Man tries to find out how Vandal Savage is tapping into the
pyramids, but he is stopped by a bunch of guards and must flee.
In Metropolis, Superman cages a series of prehistoric beasts before he is contacted
by the Immortal Man telepathically. Superman is instructed to meet him at their
headquarters.
555.18.1-555.18.6 - 'Shortly...'
Superman, "You're kidding?"
Immortal Man, "No, Superman, I assure you I am not!"
Superman, "But even Vandal Savage hasn't the ability to harness the energy of the
Big Bang which created the universe!"
Immortal Man, "He didn't build the pyramids. He is merely utilizing them for his
own needs. If we're to stop the prehistoric plague, we must destroy the pyramid that
is at the beginning of time."
Superman, "Then I'll do it!"
Rip Hunter, "We're coming with you, Superman! That pyramid turned my partners and me
old! If there is a way to reverse it-- --we have to try!"
Superman, "Dr. Hunter... What if it ages you further?"
Rip Hunter, "That's a risk we've all agreed to take!"
'Rip Hunter, Jeff Smith, Bonnie and Corky Baxter, lead Superman to the time sphere...
The five of them will journey to the beginning of time... ...to the creation of the
universe itself!"
555.19.1-555.19.2 - The passengers begin to experience the ringing again as Superman
comments, "Something wrong, Dr. Hunter?"
Rip Hunter, "Just scared, Superman. This is where we lost consciousness the last time.
There was light, tremendous pressure, then-- N-NO! It's starting now! Starting all
over again-!"
Superman, "They're unconscious. That means it's up to me!"
555.19.3-555.19.6 - Superman exits the time sphere and flies off to the energy mass,
"The time pyramid is somewhere in that blinding light. Problem is, can I reach it?
The force is tremendous... ...the pressure terrible! This is the moment... the birth
of everything! I can't look-- I mustn't look! The light could even blind me! And the
gravity... it's increasing! All gravity's centered right here... ...right at this
spot... right at this moment!"
555.20.1-555.20.5 - Superman suddenly sees the pyramid and flies to it, "Have to guide
myself through instinct... push my way through the pressures. I... I just don't know
if I can... the pain is... increasing. Increasing faster than I expected! God! Feel
the impassible energy. The terrible force! And I... sense tranquility inside here...
the calm in the eye of the hurricane. Got to break through... no matter the pain...
no matter the agony... I'VE GOT TO BREAK THROUGH!"
'The Man of Steel screams as barrier after barrier gives way. As machinery
built in another time and place pulses with energy all around him... Then...
SKRAA-BOOOOMMM!!'
555.21.1-555.21.3 - 'Time--the present:'
Vandal Savage is screaming at the current situation involving his machine,
"Cruise-- What is happening? Explain!"
Cruise, "Sire, there is power-feedback the likes of which I've never seen! More
powerful than any nuclear bomb known on Earth!"
Savage, "Do something!"
Cruise, "Sir... I-- I cannot. The pyramids... look at the machines... The
pyramids no longer exist!"
555.21.4 - 'The Rocky Mountains:'
The time sphere reappears as Congo Bill comments, "What? The time sphere's returned?
Did they fail?"
Animal Man replies, "Congo Billy-boy, I like a positive attitude!"
555.21.5 - Animal Man opens the hatch and yells, "Hurry, help me get them out!"
555.21.6 - Inside, the disoriented time masters regain their bearings as Animal Man
comments happily, "Well, I'll be-- Look at them! All of you! I-- I don't know what
happened back there-- but Rip Hunter and his friends-- --are young again!"
555.22.1-555.22.4 - Congo Bill, "They've succeeded! Look here! The prehistoric jungle
is vanishing! Whatever power kept it alive is gone!"
Dolphin, "What... about Superman? Where... is he?"
Congo Bill, "Superman--?! Great guns! He didn't return with Rip Hunter!"
Immortal Man, "Superman was subjected to the Big Bang! As powerful as he is...
...I-- I doubt that even he could have survived! My friends, we saved Metropolis...
but at what cost! We destroyed Superman!"
555.22.5-555.23 - 'The Pentagon:'
The General is giving his report on the matter, "They're all gone-- just like that!
One moment the pyramids were here... ...the next they've vanished! [picture of world
map on screen] I've checked with the other nations that harbored pyramids similar to
ours and they've all reported the same findings! All we knew was the pyramids had
been placed on our planet during the time of the cavemen. Their purpose is unknown.
Their power incredible. [picture of pyramid on screen] Yet, these people somehow
destroyed them before we could learn their purpose. [picture of Forgotten Heroes faces
on screen] Because of the alien nature of the pyramids, we did not reveal their
existence. Now that they've been destroyed, the president has asked that we all forget
they ever existed at all. [picture of Superman on screen] My friends... whatever they
were here for is a secret we shall never know!"

ACTION COMICS #554
Wolfman, Kane
"If Superman Didn't Exist..."

554.7.1-554.7.6 - 'Millennia later, the pyramids were discovered and
their energies tapped by the immortal villain known as Vandal Savage... To
stop Savage, Superman joined with famed Time Master, Rip Hunter, and
traveled back to the moment the universe was formed... There, at the dawn
of creation the Man of Steel discovered the central pyramid which powered
all the others... And using his incredible powers, he destroyed it...
...unknowingly triggering a wave of energy which rippled throughout all
time... ...and changed our world seemingly beyond repair... Superman
vanished and all he represented disappeared with him... The Justice League
was no more. The Titans were never born. No warrior in any age ever raised
a sword in battle... There was no mythology. There were no heroes. There
were no wars..."

DC COMICS PRESENTS #77
Wolfman, Swan, Hunt
"Triad of Terror!"

A luncheon ceremony in Metropolis between the press and the Forgotten
Heroes is suddenly crashed by Ultivac and Mr. Poseidon. The Forgotten
Heroes quickly spring into action but they are unable to defeat the
metallic machine and it's cohort. Across town, Superman has a run in with
Atom-Master and his pets as they manage to rob the Midtown Bank and
vanish. Superman manages to track him down, only to discover a secret
meeting between Ultivac, Enchantress, Kraklow, and Atom-Master who all
vanish when Superman breaks up the meeting.
Soon, Superman asks the Forgotten Heroes for help and they travel in Rip
Hunter's time sphere to the Middle Ages. En route, Superman is turned into a
dragon by Kraklow's magic, but Animal Man quickly brings down the dragon by
using it's powers against it. The team plan a strategy for how to storm
Kraklow's castle. They soon split into two teams: Rip Hunter, Cave Carson,
Rick Flagg, Immortal Man, and Congorillia burrow underground in the Mighty
Mole, while Animal Man, Dane Dorrance, and Dolphin swim the lake surrounding
the castle so they can storm the front door. The dragon crashes in through the
ceiling and Superman returns to normal, but Kraklow vanishes along with
his castle leaving the Forgotten Heroes to face the Faceless Hunter from
Saturn.

DC COMICS PRESENTS #78
Woldman, Swan, Hunt
"The Triad"

The Faceless Hunter from Saturn lifts a rock and hurtles it at the group of
heroes, and Superman quickly uses his heat vision to shatter it. But, the
debris hits the Immortal Man... killing him. The heroes then go on a
full-out assault on the creature which ends with Superman forcing the
creature to reveal why he joined the enemy team and where he can find them
hiding at. Suddenly, a reincarnated Immortal Man appears on the scene in
the body of a strapping youth and the team then heads into space with
Superman's help.
En route to the Sorcerer's World they must take a rest and seek aid on the water
world of Qaria due to the current course being through a red sun system. Soon,
the Space Cabby arrives on the scene to take the heroes further on their journey.
But, the combined will of the Enchantress and Kraklow bring the cab down on an
mysterious world where they are soon rescued by the crew of The Pioneer:
Chris KL-99, Jero, and Halk.
The bizarre gathering of heroes soon come across the planet Yggardis,
which is no mere planet, but a living, thinking organism. The ship is
attacked and brought down to the planet as Superman is dragged far below
the surface. The Forgotten Heroes soon find Superman and escape from the
planet aboard The Pioneer at full speed. Realizing the entire planet is
the third Sorcerer, they activate full lasers and disorient the planet
long enough for the triad of sorcerers' link to be broken. The
Enchantress' monsters turn against her, her plans crumble, and thus she
vanishes leaving a brief ripple-effect shuddering throughout the universe.
On Earth, the heroes bid their goodbyes to the The Pioneer and its'
crew and vibrate back to the Middle Ages so they can reclaim the Mighty
Mole and the time sphere. They briefly ponder the events and then head
back to the present. Meanwhile on a small satellite orbiting the Earth, the
Monitor and Lyla try to locate Kraklow and the Enchantress without avail.
But, Lyla detects the energies forming, and the Monitor instructs Lyla to
cancel all frequencies to Earth's criminal population because they have
all been tested for their strengths and weakness and no longer need to
provide council to them. The Monitor's true purpose has begun and he sets
his scanners on Earth-Three, for it is feared that it is where the trouble
will begin.

WHO'S WHO (1985-1986) #8

Forgotten Heroes - Members:

Animal Man

Cave Carson

Congo Bill

Dane Dorrance

Dolphin

Immortal Man

Rick Flagg

Rip Hunter

History: Animal Man, who could assume the powers of any living beast; Cave
Carson, the internationally known geologist; Congo Bill, the world-famous
explorer and naturalist; Dane Dorrance, leader of the aquatic adventurers
called the Sea Devils; Dolphin, mysterious underwater beauty; Rick Flagg,
leader of the top-secret military team know as the Suicide Squad; and Rip
Hunter, the legendary Time-Master. They were all once-prominent heroes who
had stumbled across identical ancient golden pyramids at various points
around and inside the Earth, only to find themselves censured when they
reported their finds to the U.S. Government. Their careers for the most
part ruined, with nowhere else to turn, they all responded to a summons by
the mysterious figure known only as the Immortal Man, who explained to
them that the pyramids were part of a plan by his ages-old foe, the
equally immortal Vandal Savage, to destroy Superman and conquer the world.
Under Immortal Man's direction, and with Superman's eventual aid, these
forgotten heroes managed to destroy the pyramids and save the world. At
Immortal Man's suggestion, the group decides to band together formally to
protect the world against menaces only their unique skills could hope to
defeat. To this end, they have already faced an organization of forgotten
villains who were attempting to form a supernatural coalition that would
dominate the Earth.
First appearance: Action Comics #552

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #11
Wolfman, Pérez, Ordway
"Aftershocks"

Throughout the 'Crisis', the Forgotten Heroes were all fighting on their own:
The Sea Devils [CRISIS #5], Dolphin [CRISIS #10-12], Congo Bill [CRISIS #12],
Cave Carson [CRISIS #11-12], Rip Hunter [CRISIS #5,10-12]. But it wasn't until
after the universes had merged, after the dramatic battle between the super-heroes
and the Anti-Monitor at the beginning of time, that some of the team banded
together again.
11.9.6-11.9.8 - Animal-Man, Dolphin, Rip Hunter and non-members Captain Comet,
Adam Strange, and Atomic Knight journey in the time sphere to aftermath of the
second front of the battle only to discover Brainiac's skull ship. They board it
in hopes of discovering the power they need to finally defeat the Anti-Monitor.

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #12
Wolfman, Pérez, Ordway
"Final Crisis"

12.1.1-12.3.11 - The three Forgotten Heroes and three tag-alongs search the ship for
a power-source and they learn the monitors were focused on the Earth, but for some
reason it is gone. Suddenly, Brainiac awakens and the heroes must reason with the
machine for help in finding a power supply significant enough to stopping the
Anti-Monitor. Brainiac researches the topic and they soon begin a star-trek to
find the ultimate power supply.
12.9.6 - The Immortal Man dies as a civilian casualty.
12.14.1-12.14.6 - Brainiac takes the team to Apokolips where they encounter
Darkseid the destroyer.
12.33.5-12.33.8 - Darkseid and the others peer into the anti-matter universe
through Alex Luthor's eyes.
12.35.5-12.35.9 - Darkseid uses Alex Luthor to unleash a scorching blast of pure
Darkseidian wrath upon the Anti-Monitor.
12.36.1-12.36.4 - The heroes give their thanks to Darkseid, which he rejects by
giving a grime warning of "When, next we meet, it shall be as enemies."

WHO'S WHO UPDATE '87 #5

Appendix: Forgotten Heroes -
In the recreated DC Universe, Rip Hunter was not a member of the Forgotten Heroes
since he had not yet made his first time trip when their group was formed.

Dr. Midnight 32Member

posted March 22, 2003 12:57 PM

THE FORGOTTEN HEROES (post-Crisis)

Again, all of this is from Adam Arnold's wonderful 'Unofficial Forgotten
Heroes' site.

RESURRECTION MAN #24
Abnett, Lanning, Guice
"Forgotten But Not Gone"

The mysterious Forgotten Heroes gather together to join Mitch, who they believe to
be the missing Immortal Man. But can the likes of the Ray, Animal Man, Ballistic,
Cave Carson, and the sorcerous Fetish save Mitch from a mad yuppie with a powerful
exoskeleton - especially when the skeleton in question is that of Mitch's greatest
foe: Hooker! You know things must be bad when even the villainous Body Doubles come
to the good guy's side! Plus, how is Mitch's feud with Vandal Savage (as seen in DC
ONE MILLION) connected to these strange goings-on?

RESURRECTION MAN #25
Abnett, Lanning, Guice, Ryan
"Millennium Then"

Mitch discovers more about his origins in a guest-packed twenty-fifth issue! In
Part 1 of the 3-part "Millennium Meteor", Mitch escapes The Lab with the help of
his new friends, the Forgotten Heroes (among them the Ray, Animal Man, Vigilante,
and Cave Carson) who belive him to be their long-lost leader, the Immortal Man.
Is Mitch the man they have been looking for? And what does the Immortal Man's
greatest foe - Vandal Savage - plan to do if he is?

RESURRECTION MAN #26
Abnett, Lanning, Williams
"Millennium Now!"

Superman, the Titans, Green Lantern, Young Justice, and Wonder Woman guest-star
in Part 2 of the 3-Part "Millennium Meteor". Only Mitch - and his new pals,
the Forgotten Heroes - stand between Vandal Savage and what the immortal villain
believes to be a piece of the meteor which gave him his powers millennia ago.
But when the meteor hits, out comes the Warpchild, a being of seemingly infinite
power that quickly makes waste of Savage's goons, along with some of the Forgotten
Heroes! Can Mitch succeed against this mysterious being where some of DC's most
powerful heroes have failed?

RESURRECTION MAN #27
Abnett, Lanning, Guice
"The Ends of The Earth"

A guest-star packed final issue concludes the 3-part "Millennium Meteor".
As Earth's mightiest heroes (Superman, Wonder Woman, and members of the Titans and
Young Justice) fall before the reality-altering power of the Warpchild, it's up to
Mitch Shelley, Vandal Savage, and the Immortal Man to track down the monster.
Can they succeed where the others have failed? More important, can these immortal
enemies work together long enough to defeat a common foe?

Calvin "Cave" Carson, the world-renowned geologist and inner Earth explorer
has dropped by the Daily Planet to talk to Clark Kent about a rather large
story he has been involved in. Clark asks Cave to cut to the chase and give
him some background information.
120.5.5 - Flashback of the recent Forgotten Heroes team in battle as Cave relays
his story, "I've been exploring the mysteries of the subterranean world ever since
I was a young man, Mr. Kent... Long before this whole metahuman explosion. The
hidden wonders of the Earth have always obsessed me. Several years back--
down there-- I stumbled on the immortal Vandal Savage's conspiracy of world
domination... ...and helped form the Forgotten Heroes, a clandestine company of
warriors dedicated to ending Savage's threat."
120.6.1 - We see Cave and Fetish going over some documents. "As it turned out,
I also wound up as the Heroes' chief financer. A couple of years of this and then
one day I woke up to find the coffers empty, and the banks banging at my door."
120.6.2-120.6.5 - "I'm not proud of this, Mr. Kent, but to escape my many creditors,
I did as I've always done when confronted with personal crisis... ...I fled into
the bosom of mother Earth. For two years I chose exile over financial responsibility,
and wandered the fiery depths of the globe, stumbling on countless underworld
glories. Eventually my iron steed-- The Mighty Mole --failed me. Such a sophisticated
piece of equipment requires expensive maintenance. I continued on foot until I came
across traces of an alien tech I later learned was the legacy of Brainiac 13...
...and I became aware that a great war was being fought on the surface. I followed
the tendrils back toward the surface. I was too late for the war... ...but I met
my future on the way up-- in the shape of one Talia Head, chief executive officer
of Lexcorp!"

Enda80Member

posted March 23, 2003 10:51 AM

Originally posted by MrMGL:

Were there any other Jack the Ripper appearances/connections/references
in the DCU???

Originally posted by IAmHungry:

Could Redjack be a Star Trek reference to that entity that killed women
and then framed Scotty for the murders?

Yup, in an episode written by Robert Bloch. Redjack also appeared in a
few DC STAR TREK issues.

Pre-Crisis, the ghost of Jack the Ripper turned up in an issue of LOIS
LANE. I will have to do some digging to get the exact reference.

Check out
http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix's
entry on Zaniac for their references to Jack the Ripper.

Hellst0neMember

posted March 23, 2003 11:37 AM

Years ago, HELLBLAZER had a story involving demonic activities, the Royal
Family of England, and Jack the Ripper. And it would be DCU since it was
pre-Vertigo, I believe.

A quite recent issue of SUPERGIRL (sometime around, #55-60, I think,
Dr. Fate was on the cover and it was about the history of Buzz) stated -
true or not - that the demon Buzz inspired the Ripper (who was in fact the
boyfriend of the last girl murdered, can't remember his name right now) to
commit the Whitechapel Murders.

Also - the villain Red Jack from Morrison's DOOM PATROL claimed that he
was God and Jack the Ripper (and others) in one.

/ola

The VigilanteMember

posted March 23, 2003 11:01 PM

I've got a Dingbats of Danger Street web page done (why, yes, I did have a
lot of free time that week, thank you kindly), but I haven't gotten around
to transferring the info to the list. Will do that this week sometime.

Also, have an I-Spy page done, but I don't think I have enough info on
King Faraday's appearances outside that or the DANGER TRAIL limited series
to really post it here.

The VigilanteMember

posted March 24, 2003 02:13 AM

THE DINGBATS OF DANGER STREET

The Dingbats of Danger Street were basically just a colorful street
gang, much in the same vein as many other Kirby (and Kirby/Simon)
creations like the Kid Cowboys of Boys' Ranch, the Newsboy Legion, and the
Boy Commandos. There were four young lads who made up the Dingbats:

- "Good Looks", the handsome 'brains' of the gang. A fairly non-descript
leader.

- "Krunch", the group's muscle and hair.

- "Non-Fat", the skinny shrimp with a chip on his shoulder. Apparently
he eats a lot and stays incredibly skinny. From the way he was drawn
(knowing Kirby's style) and the way he was scripted, I have the distinct
impression that he was meant to be an African-American, but either the
colorist got it wrong or something else behind the scenes changed the
situation

- "Bananas", the kid who looks like a geek but tries to act like a spaz.
He basically comes off as a complete jerk (think Guy Gardner without the
fine graces).

The Dingbats' first adventure begins with the quartet hanging out on a
street corner. Good Looks is reading, Non-Fat is contemplating a hot dog,
Krunch is exercising, and Bananas is spazzing out, when suddenly a man in a
costume leaps the fence, being chased at gunpoint by Police Lt. Terry
Mullins. The man, a criminal known as Jumpin' Jack, gets himself and
Non-Fat entangled in Krunch's rubber exerciser, which allows Mullins to
capture the wily criminal, giving thanks to the Dingbats for their help.

Soon after the villain is taken to jail, Non-Fat chokes on his hot dog
(much to Bananas' delight) and coughs up a small cylinder containing a
strip of microfilm. They are immediately accosted by Jumpin' Jack's
partner in crime, a helmeted goon known as the Gasser. After a brief
struggle, the Gasser flees without the film cylinder, but with Non-Fat
clinging to the roof of his escape vehicle ... a camper. Apparently he
spent too much of his loot on his costume and gas devices to buy a proper
getaway car.

The Gasser also has a second man in the camper, a person they had
kidnapped for ransom earlier. Meanwhile, Mullins is interrogating Jumpin'
Jack at police headquarters when the boys barge in with the film cylinder
and needing help to track down Non-Fat. Jumpin' Jack takes the opportunity
to escape from custody, though he is unknowningly being followed by
Mullins and a police detail (who surprisingly seem to be able to follow
the nimble villain from rooftop to rooftop with ease).

Jumpin' Jack meets up with the Gasser at a deserted waterfront pier
(talk about stereotypical situations), and they decide that the kidnap
deal is off and that the Dingbats have to pay for interfering with their
plans. As they were about to kill their hostages, Mullins and the police
arrive. The Gasser uses a new weapon which amounts to a flamethrower,
which he uses to burn Mullins. The police lieutenant's wounds aren't
enough to prevent him from dropping the Gasser with a kick, and Jumpin'
Jack is also captured fairly quickly. Non-Fat and the victim are thawed
out and everything is back to normal, with Mullins telling the Dingbats
they can call on him for help whenever they need it (and also finds out
that the Dingbats stay together because they each had a bad experience
with grown-ups at one time or another).

And that was basically it for the story of the Dingbats of Danger
Street. The gang appeared one more time, twenty-seven years later, in the
pages of ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN. As a fairly incidental part to this
story (Superman, in his blue electric form, was trying to keep Intergang
from getting involved in Suicide Slum's street gangs), the Dingbats and
the Newsboy Legion were squabbling over squatters' rights to the abandoned
Goldberg Theater. At the end of the tale, the theater was purchased by
fellow 1ST ISSUE SPECIAL alumni, the Green Team, for conversion into a
youth center that both gangs could use. So pretty much besides for
establishing the Green Team and the Dingbats into regular DC Continuity
(and putting the Dingbats in Metropolis' Suicide Slum), there wasn't much
to this story either.

Appearances:

1st Issue Special #6

Adventures Of Superman #549

THE WRITER

The Writer was one of the members of the Suicide Squad that was
assembled by Black Adam to attack Circe's island during the lamentable
"War of the Gods". Apparently whatever he wrote (or in this case, typed
into his laptop computer, which was suspended from a harness on his chest)
happened. Unfortunately, shortly after the assault began, he got a case of
'writer's block' and got his throat ripped out by one of Circe's werebeasts.

The Writer was actually Grant Morrison, who had previously appeared in
ANIMAL MAN #26, where he had a long theological and existential discussion
with Animal Man, revealing that he wrote the hero's life and adventures.
It was Morrison's last issue writing the book, and he wrote himself into
the continuity to get some ideas across and thank his fans (and to,
ostensibly, pull a deus ex machina by bringing Animal Man's family back to
life). John Ostrander and Kim Yale apparently decided that this meant he
was a DC character, and he became the Writer... and cannon fodder.

Appearances:

Animal Man #26 (as Grant Morrison)

Suicide Squad #58 (as The Writer)

FIREBALL

Sonya Chuikov was born to a pair of Soviet scientists in 1922. Her
parents had been investigating the mysterious Tunguska Fireball that had
struck central Siberia in 1908, and apparently their exposure to the
aftermath of the event had a mutagenic effect on Sonya. Soon after she was
born, her wrists burst into a cool, non-burning flame. The flame could
heat up and cover her entire body at times when she became angry or upset.
As she grew, she learned to control the fire, being able to hurl firebolts
and fly for short distances. Josef Stalin made her a ward of the state,
and she was drawn into the War when her village was attacked by Nazi
planes. Her family was killed and she almost died herself from wounds she
received while destroying some of the planes. She was one of the Allied
"mystery-men" who were gathered to open a second front (along with the
Squire, Kuei, and Phantasmo). Franklin Roosevelt had brought the four
together to go on a War Bond Drive with the Young All-Stars.

Fireball went with Iron Munro to New York City's Columbia University,
where they were attacked by Ubermensch and Gudra the Valkyrie of Axis
Amerika. She was left for dead and Iron was captured by the Nazi "heroes",
as were several prominent scientists (including Albert Einstein). She then
proceeded to the Perisphere to get help from the All-Star Squadron, and
she and the Atom headed out to try to save Iron and the scientists, who
were all taken to a hidden laboratory in Kansas.

The scientists were put into a strange apparatus that would harness
their intellects and will to detonate a plutonium device that Baron
Blitzkrieg had hidden in Kansas City. Their test worked fine on a model,
and as they prepared to use the device for real, they were attacked by a
team of All-Stars (the Squire, Kuei, the Atom, Fury, Fireball, and Flying
Fox). After a pitched battle with many injuries on both sides, Axis
Amerika was forced to retreat.

The War Bond Drive was cancelled after those events, and Fireball
returned to her homeland.

Appearances:

Young All-Stars #22, 24, 25, 26

KUEI

The unidentified Chinese soldier who would become Kuei was born in
1922, in Shanghai. He studied at university (where he learned English) and
became a soldier. His entire regiment was slaughtered by enemy troops, and
he was injured so severely that he threw himself into a nearby river to
escape the pain by drowning himself. As he was dying, he saw a Japanese
soldier peering down from the edge of the water, and he instinctively
reached out to save himself. He grasped the soldier with the hand of a
demon, and killed the man. He had become a kuei, which was, according to
Chinese legend, the soul of someone who drowned or tried to commit suicide
and cannot attain a further incarnation. Such a person would instead walk
the Earth as a powerful and dangerous spirit. He was one of the Allied
"mystery-men" who were brought together by Franklin Roosevelt (along with
the Squire, Fireball, and Phantasmo) to head a war bond drive with the
Young All-Stars.

Kuei was later attacked by policemen as he exited the plane that had
taken him to the first War Bond Rally. Luckily, Flying Fox, Neptune
Perkins, and Tsunami were on hand to calm things down. They were
unfortunately unable to stop the kidnapping of three scientists (including
Heisenberg) from Le Conte University by Kamikaze and Sea Wolf of Axis
Amerika.

The scientists were put into a strange apparatus that would harness
their intellects and will to detonate a plutonium device that Baron
Blitzkrieg had hidden in Kansas City. Their test worked fine on a model,
and as they prepared to use the device for real, they were attacked by a
team of All-Stars (the Squire, Kuei, the Atom, Fury, Fireball, and Flying
Fox). After a pitched battle with many injuries on both sides, Axis
Amerika was forced to retreat.

The War Bond Drive was cancelled after those events, and Kuei returned
to mainland China.

Appearances:

Young All-Stars #22, 23, 25, 26

KING FARADAY

King Faraday has been on the scene for quite awhile in the DC Universe,
and has been for probably a lot longer than the average fan realizes.
Faraday was a recurring character throughout a lot of the government &
espionage-oriented super-hero titles of the eighties, including CHECKMATE,
SUICIDE SQUAD, and CAPTAIN ATOM. He was "retconned" into being the
mentor/contact for Nightshade when she was brought over from Charlton
Comics with Captain Atom. Faraday also starred in the four-issue limited
series DANGER TRAIL in the early nineties. But before all that activity,
King Faraday was in virtual limbo for over twenty years ... and
technically a bit longer than that. Originally, Faraday was the one of the
stars of the original DANGER TRAIL series, which lasted five issues in the
1950's (and is now highly prized by comic collectors). He was created by
Robert Kanigher (best known for The Metal Men and Sgt. Rock) and Carmine
Infantino (best known for the Silver Age Flash, Batman, and the Elongated
Man).

Faraday was a very competent and fairly dashing secret agent working
for the U.S. Government's counter-espionage forces. He traveled the world,
ending up in a variety of exotic locales. And, even in those pre-James
Bond movie days, he got his share of attractive ladies as his companions
on his journeys. Now, I doubt that there are really that many folks out
there who really remember reading the original DANGER TRAIL, but many do
remember those adventures because of an auspicious reprinting of them. DC
Comics' published a landmark series called SHOWCASE, which was a try-out
title - characters were given a short run (usually one to three
issues) to see if their popularity and sales justified giving them a
regular feature or comic of their own. Such Silver Age stalwarts as the
Flash, Green Lantern, the Atom, the Metal Men, Adam Strange, and the
Inferior Five earned their comic book wings in this manner.

The May-June 1964 issue of SHOWCASE was the 50th issue of the title,
which is normally a landmark for any title (especially nowadays). That
issue was the first of two featuring 'I-Spy', each reprinting two
adventures of King Faraday. I don't think a lot of folks at the time
realized these tales were just reprints of stories from DANGER TRAIL (and
WORLD'S FINEST COMICS, to be accurate). Supposedly, a feature known as
Yankee Doodle was to have headlined the issue, but it was dropped at the
last moment, and the DANGER TRAIL reprints ran instead. SHOWCASE #50 did
have a four-page framing sequence by Kanigher and Infantino, which may have
caused a few people to think it was full of new material, but the dramatic
changes in Carmine's style in the ensuing years is readily apparent to the
trained eye.

There were four King Faraday stories reprinted in the two issues of
SHOWCASE: "Spy Train" (which had Faraday on the Orient Express),
"Hangman's House", "Hunters of the Whispering Gallery", and "Thunder Over
Thailand". The introductory sequence introduces readers to King Faraday
and his job as a spy for our government. The important officials that King
meets give him the codename of 'I-Spy', and try their best to dissuade him
from taking the thankless job ... but King Faraday is definitely their man!

- "Spy Train" (originally presented in WORLD'S FINEST COMICS #64): King
Faraday boards the fabled Orient Express to search for a spy who has
stolen vital information from our government. The catch: No one knows
exactly who the spy is or exactly what he stole, making him doubly
dangerous. King gets to meet the lovely actress Vina Flora, as well as
almost getting killed several times until he finally deduces the identity
of the traitor in his midst.

- "Hangman's House" (originally presented in DANGER TRAIL [1st series] #2):
King meets up with old friend Jimmy West, who needs the ace spy's help to find
a missing scientist who is being held captive in the legendary Hangman's
House. When Jimmy is killed by the same men, King heads into danger to
avenge his friend and collect the scientist before the fiends can torture
all of our secrets out of him.

- "Hunters of the Whispering Gallery" (originally presented in DANGER TRAIL
[1st series] #1): King overhears a chance remark in the train station that
indicates that someone is about to be murdered. That someone turns out to be a
lovely redhead, who is being pursued by a man from her past who wants to eliminate
everyone who could possibly identify him to those pursuing him for his heinous war
crimes. One possible error in the 're-mix': The ending of the first story in this
issue features King telling readers that 'I-Spy' was concluding in that
issue "for now". I think this message was supposed to be at the end of the
book, so perhaps the editors laid out the stories in this issue in the
wrong order.

- "Thunder Over Thailand" (originally presented in DANGER TRAIL [1st series] #3):
A man falls out of a skyscraper window and King finds a strange elephant
charm clutched in his dead hand, leading the ace spy to Thailand and into
the hands of a Nazi madman with a terrible new weapon.

********

DANGER TRAIL was also the name of a very underrated limited series that
DC Comics put out in 1992. I don't believe it was very well received financially,
and I am almost sure it was critically panned in it's day because of the creative
team (and the sensibilities of the time), but this series is a little gem.
A four-issue spy story that manages to entwine a whole bunch of archetypical
espionage situations with a likeable hero and a very evil villain, DANGER TRAIL
was a fun book.

DANGER TRAIL featured DC's version of James Bond, the operative named
King Faraday. In the 1950's, Faraday starred in the original DANGER TRAIL
series, a short-lived adventure anthology with a spy bent. The series was
reprinted in part in SHOWCASE #50 and 51, as 'I-Spy'. Faraday has since
been used infrequently but prominently as a major member of the DC
Universe's intelligence community. He acted as a contact and mentor for
Eve Eden, the former Charlton Comics character known as Nightshade, and
has had dealings with Captain Atom, Amanda Waller (and her Suicide Squad),
Sarge Steel, Checkmate, and nearly every other espionage organization.
DANGER TRAIL was his first real solo outing since the fifties.

DANGER TRAIL: "The Serpent in the Garden File"

After preventing the assassination of President Ortega of San Madeira,
King Faraday returned to the Washington Office of the Central Bureau of
Intelligence to get his next assignment from Sarge Steel (who was
Secretary of the Office of Meta-Humans). Faraday was to escort Natalia
Sokoloff from Istanbul back to Washington. Natalia, the former personal
assistant to Professor Gregor Mendekov, a missing nuclear physicist. She
claimed to have important information on those responsible for the
professor's disappearance, but would not talk until she was in Washington,
as she believed her life was in danger.

Faraday met up with Natalia in a safe house, which ended up being not
quite so safe as they had to escape a number of men intent on taking
Natalia. Faraday and Natalia got away, and got on the Orient Express out
of Istanbul wearing disguises. Faraday was again accosted, this time by
the porter. Faraday dispatched him off the train, only to find himself
caught between two gunsels on the roof of the train.

After using the time-honored tradition of ducking to dispatch his
pursuers, Faraday returned to Natalia, who became extremely upset when
Faraday absent-mindedly traced the shape of a tattoo he saw on one of his
attackers on the carriage window. She attacked her companion and then
jumped off the moving train, forcing Faraday to follow. By the time he
caught up with her and calmed her down, the train moved on without them,
forcing them to walk to the next stop. A helicopter attacked them as they
traveled, but luckily Faraday got the pilot to stray too near to some
power lines and the copter went down in flames. In the next town, Faraday
and Natalia came to, they were again attacked but managed to escape in a
power boat.

Word of Natalia's escape had reached the mastermind searching for her,
who was in fact the despotic Kobra. Meanwhile, Faraday and Natalia reached
Venice, where Faraday's old friend Pietro gave them some assistance. He
also sold them out to Kobra's agents (and ended up dying in a hail of
gunfire). Faraday used a shattered fish tank and a broken lamp to
electrocute the thugs and they escaped onto the canals in a motorboat.
Faraday managed to contact Sarge Steel and arrange for a pick-up in Paris,
atop the Eiffel Tower.

After a rather uneventful night in the back of a supply truck (well,
uneventful in terms of not being attacked, anyway ...), Faraday and
Natalia reached Paris and the Tower, only to find their contact, Dupree,
already dead. Kobra's men descended on them and Natalia was taken. Faraday
pursued, jumping after the men onto a rope from a helicopter, only to
have the belt of the man he was clinging to break, causing him to fall
from the upper deck of the Eiffel Tower ...

In true James Bond fashion, Faraday managed to glide on the air
currents to land atop a nearby hot air balloon. Sarge Steel met up with
Faraday as he made it back to solid ground. Meanwhile, Natalia was brought
before Kobra. The madman had been gathering nuclear experts from around
the world to build the "ultimate weapon", a nuclear device that, when
detonated, yields no harmful radiation (I assume that the explosive power
would still be present, or this goes from 'ultimate weapon' to 'really
stupid weapon'), in order to bring about the Kali Yuga (the age of
Chaos) which was Kobra's eternal quest. Professor Mendekov told Kobra that
he couldn't function without his assistant, which is why the manhunt for
Natalia was commenced.

Faraday and Steel went to the French branch of the CBI (a very
James Bondian operation) and was able to track the whereabouts of Kobra's
stronghold by the unique radiation that one of his deceased agents was
emitting, which was Chernobyl. Faraday and Steel accompanied the Russian
military force that was storming Kobra's base. Faraday confronted Kobra
and Kobra was forced to flee in his Ark. Faraday had booby-trapped the
vehicle earlier and it exploded. Faraday and Natalia went back to finish
the task of getting her safely to Washington.

Appearances:

Danger Trail [1st series] #1-5

World's Finest Comics #64

Showcase #50-51 (reprints)

Batman #313-314,333-335

Ms. Tree Quarterly #8

Danger Trail [2nd series] #1-4

more

BTW, Take me off the list for Slam Bradley ... don't have the time
to search out the CATWOMAN issues (nor do I really want to, as I try to
avoid all the Bat-Books nowadays).

King Faraday was recurring in the Marv Wolfman run on BATMAN in the 80s
and I think appeared once with Robin in NEW TEEN TITANS.

Mikel MidnightMember

posted March 30, 2003 09:42 AM

King Faraday was also retconned-in as Nightshade's trainer and lover in an
issue of SECRET ORIGINS (to senselessly replace Captain Atom) though
that's just as likely been re-retconned out by now.

I was thrilled to read that summary of the Dingbats/ Newsboy Legion/
Green Team crossover, it sounds hilarious.

The VigilanteMember

posted April 02, 2003 12:13 AM

THE ANIMAL-VEGETABLE-MINERAL MAN

Dr. Sven Larsen was a former student of Niles Caulder (a.k.a. The
Chief) who had once accused Caulder of stealing one of his ideas. He had
returned to demonstrate his new experiment, which involved the bombardment
of amino acids by lightning that he believed to be the key to create life
artifically. Unfortunately, Larsen fell into the vat of amino acids he was
using and was transformed into a giant paramecium. Instead of destroying
the creature, the Chief had Negative Man bring a tank of liquid oxygen to
temporarily freeze it. The creature soon began a startling transformation
into a living mass of sulphur that dissolved the ice. Elasti-Girl grew to
giant size and picked up the sulphur being, only to have it change again
into a mass of creeping ivy that she was barely able to escape. The being
next changed into a bird and flew off.

Upon examining Larsen's notes, the Doom Patrol discovered that Larsen's
"accident" had been planned, and that he already had discovered the ability
to change into any animal, plant, or mineral form through his experiment.
After a rampage through the city and a battle with the Doom Patrol, the Chief
was finally able to stop the Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man with his anti-decay
ray (which would halt all changes in living cells), the very device that Larsen
believed that Caulder had stolen from him. The Chief and the Doom Patrol reversed
the process that had given Larsen his powers and bundled him off to jail.

The Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man returned to plague the Doom Patrol several
months later, right after an accident had forced the team to function with their
powers switched around (Elasti-Girl had Negative Man's powers while he had
hers, and the Chief and Cliff's abililties were substantially switched as
well). The same device was again used to stop the A-V-M Man, and he was
again sent back to prison.

Over four years later, Larsen was broken out of prison by General
Immortus in order to aid him in bringing the Chief out of seclusion. This
also brought him into conflict with the Doom Patrol again, at least the
team that Celsius had assembled to help her find the Chief for herself.
Larsen still wanted revenge on the Chief for the invention he believed was
stolen, and went against Immortus' orders and attempted to kill the Chief
himself. Unfortunately for the A-V-M Man, the one weapon that Immortus'
men hadn't found in the Chief's wheelchair was a water pistol full of a
chemical retardant to stop the villain's transformations. The Chief had
miscalculated and the chemical only slowed the changes. It took Scott
Fisher to almost accidentally stop the A-V-M Man by burning him severely
with his hands. Celsius then encased the now normal Larsen in ice.

Appearances:

Doom Patrol [1st series] #89, 95

Doom Patrol [1st series] #122 (reprint of #89)

Doom Patrol [1st series] #123 (reprint of #95)

Doom Patrol [2nd series] #15-16

The VigilanteMember

posted April 02, 2003 12:29 AM

VILLAINS FROM THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD, Part 1

THE CAPSULE MASTER

Vulkor was a Martian who had been exiled from Mars because he had
sought to steal a super-weapon and take over the planet. The weapon was
thought to have been destroyed in the final battle that resulted in
Vulkor's capture, but it wasn't. It ended up on Earth inside various
meteors, most of which landed around Star City. Vulkor's giant
capsule (and massive robotic arm) and three Martian lackeys ended up
battling Green Arrow and the Manhunter From Mars to obtain the meteors
with the weapon fragments inside them. Naturally, the two emerald heroes
(with help from Green Arrow's partner Speedy) was able to stop the
villain's plan, and the Manhunter imprisoned the four Martians within an
active volcano (?!).

Appearances:

The Brave And The Bold #50

THE MOLDER

The Batman was investigating a string of strange robberies that were
besieging Gotham City, not knowing that they were being perpetrated by the
Molder, a super-villain who wants to bring about "the age of plastic". He
created a small army of "Plastoids" (polymer plastic conditioned with DNA
and bio-genetic plasma) to rob a subway train and stop the Batman, who was
almost killed by an on-coming train. He was saved by the timely
intervention of Plastic Man, who was in town tracking the Molder on a case
of his own. They pursued the Molder, but he evaded them both, rending
Plas limb from limb and bogging down Batman's whirly-bat with a plastic
web. The Molder's next crime was to cover City Hall in a cocoon of
plastic, which used catalytic molecules to increase in size to inundate
the city. The Molder also sprayed Plastic Man with the catalyst, which
caused his body to do the same thing. Batman's arrival didn't help things,
as he was soon caught in the virtual quicksand of Plas's expanding body.
A police sharpshooter with a bazooka began firing charges into Plastic
Man's body in hopes of stopping his rapid growth, but only succeeded in
severing his head and shoulders from his body. Plas landed, by chance, in
the Molder's laboratory, where he drank some of his memory plastic, which
allowed him to regain control of his body. This freed the Batman, who
knocked the Molder off the roof and into Plas's malleable hands.

Appearances:

The Brave And The Bold #76

THE QUEEN BEE

The Queen Bee was really Marcia Monroe, a playgirl who Batman had
fallen in love with, and who double-crossed him to further the ends of an
international crime organization called Cyclops. She worked with Eclipso,
but eventually double-crossed the Demon of Darkness as well to save Batman
and make good her escape.

Appearances:

The Brave And The Bold #64

SHAHN-ZI

Shahn-Zi was a Chinese myth come to life as Gotham City's Chinatown was
celebrating the Year of the Bat. The Lord of the Yellow River created a
force field around the Chinatown area and revealed his plans to regenerate
himself, using Mayor Bill Loo's son Danny as his receptacle. Shahn-Zi's
power also attracted the attention of the visiting Jim Corrigan, and his
alter-ego the Spectre. The Astral Avenger and the Batman battled Shahn-Zi,
and the River Lord had nearly destroyed the Spectre when the Batman found
and destroyed the source of his power, a model water wheel using water from
the Yellow River of China.

Years later, Shahn-Zi appeared at yet another New Year's celebration in
Chinatown, though this time Bill's son Danny was presiding over the
festivities. This time, the combined strength of Batman and Jason Blood
(also known as Etrigan the Demon) was barely able to stop the Lord of the
Yellow River from taking over the city (and Etrigan needed to get special
help from his master Merlin in order to defeat him).

Appearances:

The Brave And The Bold #75, 137

simplicioMember

posted April 24, 2003 06:37 PM

Would anyone be able to supply a profile of the Love Syndicate of
Dreamworld? It was like an alternate JLA (including Sunshine Superman,
Speed Freak, and Magic Lantern) and appeared in the 'comic book limbo'
storyline in ANIMAL MAN. Have they been seen before?

No, I'm sure those were invented by Grant Morrison for the story. Even
creators like Joe Simon weren't THAT hippie-ish in the 70s.

/ola

John Moores 3Member

posted April 27, 2003 12:28 PM

Is this still going? Just kidding - I love it - just spent a very
enjoyable Sunday afternoon reading the "old" threads on Outpost's site!

Well, as a veteran of the first "Obscure Thread", I'll give this a
"bump" and ask someone to fill in the gaps on the following obscure
characters (just 'cause I wanna give them a shout-out and see their names
in "print" one more time ).

Add these dudes to the list, if you would:

Moximus: The sorcerer of Pompeii who gave Supes a load o'
heartache in 1980's SUPERMAN #343.

The second Hunchback (not the guy I detailed, from Fawcett's
Golden Age, but a musical killer from the early-eighties Batgirl strip,
who killed girls to get inspiration for his music).

The Trilligs: Those marine monsters who were the McGuffin in the
clash between the evil Captain Kalamari and the Superman/Batman/Phantom
Stranger team in WORLD'S FINEST #249!

Also on a W.F. tip, the Werewolf of Krypton, Lar-On was his
name?

And did we ever get Whirlicane, a.k.a. Emilio Storn?

Or the villains from the Batman Sunday/Newspaper strip: The Iceberg,
The Lamp, The Gopher and the lovely Sparrow?

Or the various villains known as The Blaze, with reference to the
badnik in the 40s Superman Sunday strip, and the femme fatale Lil Danvers,
from the Dailies a.k.a. the infamous Blonde Tiger?

Or the original Golden Age Ghost from ACTION #39, a.k.a.
the tormented Brett Bryson?

I love 'em all! (And maybe they deserve one more place in the sun, at
that!)

John Moores 3Member

posted April 27, 2003 12:36 PM

Jeez... I just remembered something that'd been bugging me for a couple of
days - anyone done or can do the villains from Dial 'H' for Hero - aside
from the Evil Eight?

These guys are actual villains, right, not created by the Master or
whatnot?: Games Master (some kind of Joker protege, right?),
Sky-Raider, Coil, Wildebeest - any others? I was
thinking about them the other day [I know, I know... ]
but don't have any Dial 'H' stuff anymore [And I'm not in a real big
hurry to track it down ] but now I know this is still
going...

There was something like a Son of Satan, too, right? Grokk? Grock?

Hellst0neMember

posted April 27, 2003 03:02 PM

Nice to have you aboard again, Mister Moores. You've been missed. Care to
cover one or two characters on the "to do" list?

Actually, "Grockk the Devil's Son" from the old Dial 'H' for Hero comics
was already handled in round two or three (I think). It was written by the
Mighty Mikishawm, so I guarantee you it's worth reading.

All-Star joined the Justice League (animated style) as a temporary
replacement for the Green Lantern John Stewart, utilizing the power of the
"star-charm", an artifact belonging to the evil Weaponers of Qward. With
youthful exuberance and the powers of flight, force blasts, and the ability
to levitate objects, All-Star aided the JL against the Qwardians, Harley
Quinn and Poison Ivy, Grodd, Chemo, a force of Bizarros patterned after
the League, and climatically, Brainiac, who had mentally enslaved the
Green Lantern Corps. After a crisis of confidence, All-Star saved the
day... at the cost of her powers. Nevertheless, Batman himself assured
Olivia that she is, and always will be, one of them. The world believes
All-Star dead.

Alpha, an android created by Dr. Burgos (named for Golden Age Marvel
writer Karl?) has a busy week: he aids Batman against the Green Mask
Bandits, goes on a destructive rampage after a misunderstanding, and falls
in love with Batwoman. In the end, Alpha, who has super-strength but "the
emotions of an infant", sacrifices his life to save Batwoman.

Mad star Aquarius is banished from "the Council of Stars". So he does
the only sensible thing - steals Starman's Cosmic Rod and destroys
Earth-Two. All that remains of the planet are the JSAers who attempted to
battle him - Superman, Wonder Woman, Doctors Fate and Mid-Nite, Black
Canary and hubby Larry Lance, and the Red Tornado, the plucky android sent
across the dimensional barrier to Earth-One, to enlist the aid of the JLA,
who keep Reddy waiting two weeks as Hawkman is turned to salt (don't ask).
The JLA eventually cross over, but are attacked by the mind-controlled
JSA, who have been kept alive in a mystic bubble by Dr. Fate. The JLA subdue
the JSA, but at the cost of Larry Lance's life, after the P.I./second
banana hurls himself in the path of Aquarius' blast to save his wife. The
two GLs lure Aquarius into the anti-matter universe, where he is
destroyed. Black Canary leaves Earth-Two for Earth-One, as "the memories
are too painful".

That's the first three anyway....

Mikel MidnightMember

posted April 29, 2003 12:53 AM

Originally posted by Hellst0ne:

Heh. I remember those. Sunshine Superman, Magic Lantern, and Speed Freak.
No, I'm sure those were invented by Grant Morrison for the story.
Even creators like Joe Simon weren't THAT hippie-ish in the 70s.

For the curious, I went ahead and timelined them (as well as Overman et al):http://blaklion.best.vwh.net/timeline17.html